Media – Passionate Legacy

A major issue in the lives of teenagers today is the vast amount of media in which they are exposed to and have available to them. Cable television, movies, cell phones, music, internet and especially Facebook plays a huge role in the lives of many young people and families. As parents who want to pass Christian values on to our children we must be aware and involved in the lives and choices of our children when it comes to this very important area of media. We determined to educate ourselves and be actively involved with our children in this area. We took the time to carefully consider what is and is not appropriate use of internet sites before we allowed our children to explore this world. Facebook requires users to be 13 yrs of age and honoring this requirement teaches children to have honest and ethical character by consistently following rules and respecting authority. Below is a sample list of guidelines for social networking sites.

Facebook Rules:

You may only be “friends” with people who are pre-approved by us. That means that you ask before you request a friend or respond to someone else’s request.

You must be “friends” with us.

If a friend posts something that is inappropriate, you must un-friend them.

We must know your password at all times.

You may only post information that is appropriate for the entire public.

You may not use any of the applications (games, quizzes, surveys, etc.) without our permission first.

If you do not follow any of these rules, you will not be able to be on Facebook (and possibly the internet) for a determined amount of time.

It is best to start out with strict supervision and let out the reigns as trust is earned. As teens show that they are responsible and trustworthy they will need less and less supervision. So some of these rules may become unnecessary for older teens.

Movies are rated based on what may be psychologically damaging but no thought has been given to what content may be morally damaging. The public media in general has no moral compass. So rather that going by the ratings we evaluate movies based on the contents that they are rated for.

An example demonstration is to: allow a teenager to watch a movie rated PG 13 for these reasons.

Some Profanity
Some Violence
Some Language
Crude humor

Use caution in allowing a teen to watch a PG 13 movie rated for these reasons.

Intense Science Fiction Terror
Adult situations
Questionable for Children
Thematic elements

And not allow a teen to watch a PG13 movie rated for these reasons.

Intense Sequences of Violence
Sexual Situations
Substance Abuse
Not for Children
Brief Nudity
Sensuality

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