Social media promises connection, creativity, and community, but this is not what children and young teens receive.
Before they are emotionally grounded or spiritually mature, young users are launched into an environment driven by comparison, performance, and endless distractions. The platforms may be free, but the hidden costs are significant.
As Christian parents and mentors, it is crucial that we understand not only what social media gives but what it quietly takes away.
Here are five key areas where early and frequent social media use can result in deep and sometimes lasting losses.
Identity:
Social media is a breeding ground for confusion and comparison. What begins as innocent scrolling can quickly become exposure to shifting cultural narratives about who you are and how you should define yourself.
Even with a strong foundation of self-worth, it becomes easy to question the truth and embrace distorted views of identity. Almost all of them reject God’s design.
From self-image to gender, young users are vulnerable to social contagions promoting harmful ideas and encouraging identity to be found in accolades, aesthetics, or feelings.
Focus:
It is the algorithm that chooses the content you see. Its goal is maximum engagement.
This constant stream of stimulation erodes young user’s ability to sit still, stay focused, and delay gratification.
Focus is already a battle in our distracted world. The longer an adolescent has to build their self-control muscles and sustained attention skills without social media, the greater their focus will be on what matters most.
Friendships:
Social media turns friendships into performance. Who liked whose post? Why was I not tagged? Why do they look so happy without me? Envy and jealousy quietly poison what could be healthy, life-giving relationships.
Believers are called to encourage one another, not compete, not envy, and not covet. Young friendships need time and space to grow without the weight of social media drama.
Sleep:
Late-night scrolling, drama-filled group chats, and the fear of missing out keep kids up far past bedtime. The result is exhaustion, anxiety, and declining mental health.
Quality sleep is essential to brain development, emotional regulation, and overall well-being. Social media robs young users of rest and, with it, their ability to thrive.
Faith in Jesus Christ:
At its core, social media subtly encourages self-worship. Under the guise of “sharing life,” young users are rewarded for drawing attention to themselves. Over time, they can begin seeking validation not from God, but from followers and strangers.
You cannot worship both yourself and Jesus. One must win out.
Social media may seem like a harmless rite of passage for adolescents, but what it costs them in identity, focus, relationships, rest, and faith is far too great. Delaying access is not cruel or abusive; it is protecting what matters most.
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