Most Christian Parents Concerned About Children’s Faith, Study Reveals
By Movieguide® Contributor
A recent study conducted by the Barna Group found that most Christian parents are concerned about their children’s faith.
The group reported, “73% of U.S. parents are concerned about their children’s spiritual development. When asked how concerned they are about their children’s faith formation, nearly three-quarters of American parents said they were at least somewhat concerned.”
Parents also worry that their children stray from faith in their teens or adulthood.
The study found that “seven in 10 U.S. parents (70%) say they are at least somewhat concerned about their children staying true to their spiritual faith—a pattern that again remains consistent across faith practice.”
Barna added that a total of 86% of practicing Christian parents are very (58%) or somewhat (28%) concerned about whether their children will stay true to their faith.
In a separate study, Barna reported data on “media-stressed parents”—Christian parents who struggle to handle issues that stem from their children’s media use.
“Analysts call those who rank at least two media issues among their top three struggles related to their child’s faith formation ‘media-stressed parents.’ (Media issues include inappropriate internet searches, digital content such as YouTube and Netflix, video games and social media),” Barna reported.
“One-third of engaged Christian parents (34%) qualifies as media-stressed,” the group added.
Movieguide® founder Dr. Ted Baehr discussed this trend, writing, “According to Cornell University, 9 out of 10 children abandon the values of their parents. According to USA Today, 83% of the youth leave the church, and 80% of the parents are very worried about their children and the mass media of entertainment’s influence on them.”
These studies provide parents with sufficient reasons to be concerned about how entertainment media can affect their children’s outlook on faith.
Dr. Baehr offers advice on how to cultivate a media-wise family in five steps:
- Understand the influence of the media on your children.
- Ascertain your children’s susceptibility at each stage of cognitive development.
- Teach your children how the media communicates its message.
- Help your children know the fundamentals of Christian faith.
- Help your children learn how to ask the right questions.
A recent theological study also reinforced why having faith-related discussions with kids is important.
The researchers concluded, “The importance of the role that parents play in the faith development of children is immense…The way their parents conduct themselves on a day-to-day basis will also influence the child’s faith development. Parents need to discuss matters of faith, relevant to the young child’s life and circumstances with the child.”
Movieguide® previously reported:
Children need to be taught the fundamentals of Christian faith so that they can apply their beliefs and moral values to the culture and to the mass media of entertainment. Of course, parents typically have an easier time than teachers with this Key because they can freely discuss their personal beliefs. Yet, even so, it is interesting to note that cultural and media literacy and values education are two of the fastest growing areas in the academic community – a trend most likely due to the fact that educators are beginning to realize that something is amiss.
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