I’ll never forget how quickly my daughter Madison mastered navigating my smartphone. By the age of 3 months, she was mesmerized by it. By the age of 1 year, she knew that the simple touch of a finger made the screen do cool things. By the age of 2, she fully mastered using the camera and navigating through YouTube to watch the popular kids' show “Bluey.” Who am I kidding? I may like that show more than she does. Now she is 3½ and knows how to pull up the GPS and get us to Tennessee! Just kidding, but I think you get the point. Our kids and technology? They are inseparable, especially when they get into those teenage years.
 
It doesn’t take long for us to see the impact of technology on our world and in our lives. Let’s check out some stats concerning children and teenagers and their smartphones:

• YouTube was the most used social media app among teens in 2019, followed by Instagram and Snapchat according to Statista
• The average 8 to 12-year-old American kid spent four hours and 44 minutes looking at screens each day in 2019
• American teens aged 13 to 18 used entertainment screen media for an average of seven hours and 22 minutes each day in 2019

More teens are using social media as a way to connect than ever before. Experts agree that most kids receive their first smartphone during the stage in their life when peer engagement is critical. Teenagers use social media as a way to tap into their social development, which can be beneficial. Still, social media abuse is proven to negatively impact their social development, as evidenced by rising numbers of teenage depression and anxiety, a lack of self-confidence, exposure to people and content that pose a threat to their overall safety, and much more.

So, my question to us would be this, How does The Ridge leverage our online campus to reach students with the hope of Jesus? How do we lead students into an identity found in Jesus, not followers? How do we show students that social media isn’t bad but it alone doesn’t fulfill our desire for a sincere social community? We are built for more. How do we reignite and unleash God-given purpose in the lives of our students?

We’ve been thinking about this at The Ridge and have some ideas while keeping in mind that this is not yet concrete. Maybe we start a YouTube channel that gives our teens a platform to share their stories or to be a part of discussing everyday teenage struggles. Possibly we can create a TikTok that shares inspiration from content at our student services or challenges for students to live on purpose. Or maybe we can stream our services on Instagram live?

I want to see our students living with confidence and purpose in themselves. I desire to see students living free from the grasp of depression and anxiety, free from the chains of comparison, free from the chains of an identity crisis. Only the power of Jesus can do that. Students don’t need more restrictions and rules. Students need parents and leaders who know how to speak into their world. And a big part of that is the online campus launching on Easter of 2021.

We don’t have all the answers; however, we are excited to work together to figure it out for our students' eternity. If you’re interested in being involved at a deeper level, you can follow this link to see all serving opportunities, including students online.

Whatever it takes, 

Chris