3 Ways to Protect Your Kids + Safety For Your Kids’ Tech

December 9, 2022

Navy blue and gold splatter background with image of dark-haired woman on cell phone holding glass of water and title 3 Tactical ways you can protect your kids' safety online. stefaniegass.com/blog

Did you know that your kids’ tablets and phones are set to explicit? Did you have any idea that there are some easy tweaks you can make to your kids’ tech to protect their little hearts, eyes, and minds? We are at war! We have to be the hands and feet of Christ in protecting our littles. I am going to walk you through some simple things to help protect your kids with their tech.

How to Protect Your Kids and Keep Them Safe When Using Tech

You can have the intention of not wanting to do something wrong, but it comes in as this sly trick. It is important to recognize and experience what it looks like to discern through a choice when you are being tempted versus just deciding “if I’m ever tempted I’m going to choose God’s way.” It is really different when that temptation is right in front of your face.

As moms, we need more awareness in our minds and hearts. We can’t turn away as moms from the reality of what is happening. Satan is out to steal, kill, and destroy. It is easier to be deceived and led into sin than it used to be because of technology and the access that kids now have. By handing our kids a phone and tablet constantly, we are beginning their addiction decades earlier than ours ever started. Can you imagine the damage that we can control if we get serious about this battle against technology?

We don’t need to live in fear though, mamas I have 3 simple ways you can protect your kids. The cycle of addiction can be broken and end with us.

Gold splatter background and quote We can be a generational waymaker and say the buck stops here with me, I am not going to perpetuate this addiction and push it onto my kid's generation. -Stefanie Gass

1. Have hard conversations with your kids about tech

It begins with communication. We have to talk to our children about the dangers of pornography. Make this a no-shame approach with open conversation. The sooner the better, the longer you wait the more awkward it becomes.

Navy blue and gold splatter background and quote It may feel uncomfortable, but if you don't have the hard conversations with your kids, someone else will. -Stefanie Gass

2. Set boundaries to protect your kids from addiction

Limitations on how much access the kids have to technology
When they can use the technology
What they are doing on the technology
We brought ours down to an hour of tech a day
They have to earn the tech
No social media
Use tech in a family room/shared space
- Not because I don’t trust my kids, but I don’t trust technology
Discern and ask God to help you navigate what boundaries to set

Teal and gold splatter background and quote Anything you set up and create a structure for can become a new norm so don't be afraid of making changes. -Stefanie Gass

3. Set protections on the tech

There are good aspects of technology, but we have to be careful that we are not freely trusting this technology. We have to prepare for the worst and live our lives expecting the best. With the protections set, the technology is doing what it should be doing, helping them learn.

Have a passcode on all technology in the home
- When it’s time to use tech, they come and ask for it to be unlocked
How to set protections on Apple products:
- Go to:
  - Settings
  - Screen time
  - Content and privacy restrictions
  - Turn it on
  - Click on content restrictions
  - Everything is explicit. Change all the settings to clean

You have to protect your kids and get serious about it. The enemy is absolutely using technology to try to harm us, and I know from my own experience that there is some very real spiritual warfare in this area. If you are feeling like this too, Grab my spiritual battle plan to help you defeat the enemy!

Doing a few easy things like having hard conversations, setting boundaries, and implementing technology protections is not going to take a lot of time but it will make a world of difference as you seek to protect your kids. If we can save a couple of years before our kids are exposed to things, we should. We need to do everything we can to allow them to be kids for as long as possible.

I pray this blesses you!

Xo,

Stef

P.S. Also, listen to podcast episode 545 for the full training on 3 Ways to Protect Your Kids + MUST DO Safety Restrictions For Your Kids’ Tech!

APPLE PODCAST | SPOTIFY | GOOGLE PODCAST

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