1. Instant gratification<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nMany kids today have instant access to their favorite food and drinks, instant access to the people they want to talk to, or instant access to entertainment through technology. Without realizing it, they\u2019re being shaped to believe what they want should come quickly. When every development in today\u2019s world is to make something faster and easier to obtain, kids are becoming impatient, anxious and easily angered when their expectations are not met right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The biblical solution: Cultivating patience and delayed gratification<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nIn a world where instant gratification is expected and attention spans are being subliminally shortened, we need to help our kids value patience and the reward of hard work over time. God has things to teach us in life while we wait for the answers or situations we want, and we\u2019ll miss out on those important milestones of faith and growth if we\u2019re too busy being annoyed by what we don\u2019t instantly have, so that we miss what God wants to do in us instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Lack of genuine connection<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWith so much of the world just a tap away, it\u2019s so easy to text or call a friend whenever a child is feeling bored, lonely or needing advice. So easy, in fact, they can neglect talking to God first. When kids and cell phone addiction mix, a lack of genuine connection with others is often a result. As human beings, we\u2019re designed by God to desire connection with Him and others. But that connection wanes when cell phones are designed to keep us glued to their screens and not out interacting and enjoying the real world with others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When a kid feels disconnected from their true heart\u2019s needs, they\u2019ll seek that connection from outside sources like social media. The problem, however, is that \u201cquick fixes\u201d like this don\u2019t actually fulfill our souls\u2019 longing for deep connection with God and each other. It trains kids to treat their friends like commodities, share more than they should online, grow more dependent on others rather than dependent on God, or become anxious and frustrated while chasing a constant dopamine high through tech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The biblical solution: Prioritizing relationship with God and others<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nGod wants to be our closest friend. He is the \u201cfriend who sticks closer than a brother\u201d and the only One who is able to truly fill our souls. Encourage your kids to become closer friends with God by guiding them to talk to Him first when feeling an emotion before they post something online, to listen to what the Holy Spirit says when reading God\u2019s Word, or by helping them unplug and go on prayer walks in God\u2019s creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Entitlement<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nPerhaps the kid in your life already enjoys many benefits and lives a comfortable life, so they expect things to always go as they want. Or maybe they see how others live on social media and want that for themselves, too. Regardless of the source, entitlement can cause kids to complain, confuse \u201cwants\u201d with \u201cneeds,\u201d not show gratitude, or fall apart if things don\u2019t always meet their expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The biblical solution: Cultivating gratitude and contentment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nWhile it\u2019s good for us to have our basic needs met and to experience happiness in life, entitlement can grow quickly with kids, and cell phone addiction can fuel that when all they\u2019re seeing is a distorted picture of how much better off others seem to have it. Help kids recognize God\u2019s goodness and point them away from entitlement by encouraging them to unplug, enjoy what they have, rather than fixating on what they don\u2019t, and accept the difficulties of life as opportunities to learn, grow and care for others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Wasting time<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nRight now, so much is curated to either revolve around our kids\u2019 schedule and happen exactly when they want it to, or to help them forget the world around them for a while in mindless distractions. Kids may think that time is theirs to spend as they wish. The result is often a habit of laziness, poor focus, or neglecting personal responsibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The biblical solution: Stewarding time as a gift from God<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThis lie can be damaging because you never know how much time on this earth you have, and every second \u2014 everything we do \u2014 matters. But you can point to ways they can spend their time that have an eternal impact. Help kids realize that they can have a positive impact on others every single day, even by doing their chores or homework, simply by doing it with a positive attitude and choosing to focus on serving God. When honoring Jesus is our focus, every action, every thought, and every second can become a form of worship \u2014 creating a happy heart in you, God, and others around you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. Self-centeredness<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\u201cSelf-care\u201d is a popular term in our culture, and while taking care of your emotional, physical, mental and spiritual needs is an important lesson worthy of teaching your kids, it can turn into an ugly weed if the purpose behind it becomes totally self-centered. \u201cSelf-care\u201d taken too far can often look like isolation, a selfish or rude attitude, an unhealthy \u201cme first\u201d mindset, or an unwillingness to care for others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The biblical solution: Living for others as Christ did<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nAs a beautiful creation of God, you should always be teaching kids about emotions and how to take care of themselves, but never at the cost of neglecting to care for others. Healthy self-care is seeing that your own cup is full, so you have even more to pour out for others. Ultimately, teaching kids about emotions, helping them to unplug and enjoy being present, is the first step towards battling unhappy kids and cell phone addiction, allowing them to see God\u2019s truth in their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nAbout the Author: Fred Pry is the Vice President of Administration at Child Evangelism Fellowship<\/u>\u00ae<\/sup> (CEF), the most impactful child evangelism ministry in the world, reaching over 27.4 million children with its face-to-face ministry in 2024.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Story by Fred Pry. With so much online today and more and more becoming accessible through our phones, kids and cell phone addiction has become a common problem. Recent studies have cited digital addiction among youth as a global concern, with 60% between the ages of 5-16 exhibiting behaviors indicative of technology dependency. When not intentionally addressed, excessive digital engagement<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9798,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[119,474],"coauthors":[364],"class_list":{"0":"post-9796","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-faith","8":"tag-bible","9":"tag-internet"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9796","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9796"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9796\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9814,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9796\/revisions\/9814"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9796"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9796"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9796"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cvnznews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcoauthors&post=9796"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}