Is Social Media Breaking Up Your Family? Here’s the Solution
By Movieguide® Contributor
Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson and her husband Andrew East sat down with Pastor Darren Whitehead on their podcast to discuss the problem with social media and how to prioritize family connection over devices.
Whitehead shared a vulnerable moment when his daughters convicted him about being on his phone too much.
“They said, ‘We wish you didn’t spend so much time on your phone,’” he recalled. “And every parent who is older than me says the same thing. These years are fleeting and precious, and one day you’re going to wake up in an empty house, and you’re going to miss the noise that they would make…you’re going to miss this.”
“But to think that I have squandered some of what people say is some of the most precious times in life because I’ve been doom scrolling cat videos on my phone, you know? It’s like I’ve traded the infinitely valuable for the infinitely trivial, and it was kind of a wake-up call for me. And as a pastor, I was just feeling these devices have seeped their way into our lives.”
Andrew and Shawn teared up as the sobering reality of the addiction to social media hit them.
Whitehead continued, “Maybe these things are taking more from us than they’re giving. The thing that we used to master is now mastering us. When I ask people ‘Have you ever done a digital detox?’…most people say, ‘No, but I need to.’ And everyone has this sense that this is kind of this is negatively impacting their mental health.”
He believes that in a lot of ways, the devil is using social media to break apart precious time with our families.
“John 10:10 says that the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. Jesus is saying, ‘But I have come that they may have life to the full.’ And I believe that the thief the enemy is using a smartphone to steal our time, to kill our relationships and destroy our peace,” the pastor continued.
Movieguide® previously reported on the benefits of putting our devices down and going on a “digital detox”:
Have you ever detoxed from your devices? Here’s how ditching the digital world can improve your mental health and help you refocus on the real world.
“A digital detox refers to a period of time when a person refrains from using tech devices such as smartphones, televisions, computers, tablets, and social media sites,” VeryWell Mind reports.
Several benefits come with putting devices down.
According to Study Finds, a social media detox “reduced anxiety and depression.” The source shares, “Many experts suggest the rise in anxiety, especially in kids, is due to social media. We are constantly comparing ourselves to our friends, and if a post doesn’t get a certain number of likes or comments, we feel defeated.”
Whitehead is so passionate about this topic that he even wrote a book about it called The Digital Fast, which released earlier this year.
“Imagine a life where your days are not dictated by the constant pings of social media, emails, and news alerts. The Digital Fast isn’t just about putting down your phone; it’s about embracing a lifestyle that enhances your mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being,” a synopsis reads.
Life is short, and every moment wasted on social media could’ve been a moment spent on something else. It is up to us how we choose to spend our time, and ultimately what we spend our time on shows what we value the most.
