CCA Bulletin 11.13.22

Dear Families,

Our children are growing up in a world where social media, and all that it offers, speaks to them as part of their native language, and they feel pressure to be part of the latest, greatest social media platform. As parents, we must become savvy to the pitfalls of such tools.

Today I want to spotlight Tik Tok. Most of us have seen fun, short videos highlighted on other social media platforms like Facebook. But are you aware of the dangerous underside of Tik Tok? Though there are safeguards designed to protect children, if they claim to be 15 or older, they can get around them.

To experience how fast the content can deteriorate, search for your favorite type of entertainment on Tik Tok and watch how quickly you are bombarded with offensive stunts and language. Even more dangerous are the illegal or dangerous challenges that are often designed to appeal to the most vulnerable users. You can learn more about this app and specific steps for setting up controls in this article published by Protect Young Eyes.

I share this not to alarm you, but to allow us to team up to protect our children. Thanks to peer pressure, kids want what their friends are allowed to use. If we work together to limit their consumption of apps like Tik Tok, the pressure lessens within our own community.

Our high schoolers need monitoring as well. I have seen many students over the years fall to technology addiction. This applies to phones, tablets, computers, and gaming, which threaten teenagers’ mental health as well as their ability to focus on learning and get restful sleep.

Technology is not inherently bad. Like most things, it’s fine in moderation, but unlike other types of communication and entertainment, it requires our constant vigilance. Keeping up with the changing nature of tech is half the battle. The other half requires pointed conversations with your kids to help them understand why we say no to things that “all the other kids” have.

We can do this together. CCA keeps a close eye on the technology we use and monitors how much is too much. As parents, I invite you to do the same. Our children’s well-being and mental health is so important, and fighting the constant use of tech is one way to help our children stay out of harm’s way.

In Christ,

Sherrie Gibelyou
sherrie.gibelyou@ccatacoma.org
253-389-0349