Ways to Think through New Media

Ways to Think through New Media

Guidelines
We are living in the Digital Revolution, a time of continuous and often uncomfortable change.  New opportunities arise and with it new dangers lurk, and it can be difficult to keep up with all the new developments.  The internet has changed how we live, shop, learn and find employment.  How should a Christian respond to all these changes?  How are we to navigate and shepherd our children through this?4 Biblical Principles to help guide us in the digital age:Technology is created by God, He created all of the power, minds and elements to make this all possible.Technology is not sinful in and of itself.Technology has many appropriate uses.  We can use it for communication, finances, shopping, education, Christian resources, sermons, etc…Technology has been perverted and abused by sinners.  Wasting time, pornography, gambling, …
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The Most Popular Apps for Teens: What’s Hot, What’s Not

The Most Popular Apps for Teens: What’s Hot, What’s Not

Apps
These days, it's tough to keep up with the ever-changing world of apps that our children are using.  The linked article below contains a list of popular apps for teenagers and what parents should be aware of concerning these apps.   View Article We have written more detailed reviews for a couple of the apps that are mentioned in this summary, including TikTok & Instagram "finsta" accounts, which you can view on our website here or our blog here. *Please note, that although we have found valuable information from an external web page for our blog post, we do not endorse all information, religious views and opinions posted on these third-party websites.
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Porn Addiction Resources

Porn Addiction Resources

Pornography, Resources
We’ve compiled a few online and local resources as a starting point on your road to recovery as an individual or as a couple.  This by no means an exclusive list, there are many other excellent resources out there but hopefully this will put you in the right direction.  * Please note, that although we have found valuable information from the following sources, we do not endorse all information, religious views and opinions of these services or third-party websites.    There’s A Hole In My Sidewalk “Autobiography in Five Short Chapters” by Portia Nelson  This poem has become widely known in many addiction recovery circles.  It is an incredibly powerful metaphor describing the change process that often occurs with addiction & recovery.  I walk down the street. 1. There is…
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Online Education & Learning Resources

Online Education & Learning Resources

Resources
One of the goals of our Modern Media Committee is to promote the positive aspects of the internet.  We often focus, and rightly so, on the dangers of the world wide web and social media, but there are also many benefits to being connected to the world through the internet. One of these benefits, as many of us experienced when schools were shut down, is the plethora of online learning and educational sites that are available for all ages.  Whether you want to top up your knowledge on a subject or learn a completely new skill, there is no shortage of online courses to help you on your way. In fact, there are so many choices, it can be difficult to figure out which platform suits you best! The webpage…
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7 Tactics of Online Predators

7 Tactics of Online Predators

Hazards
With an increased amount of time being spent on the internet during the time of quarantine - whether for homeschool or homework, increased opportunities for online predators to trap our children arise. We may believe that we are there monitoring our children and seeing what they are doing every moment, but we must be honest with ourselves. Our children have access to computers and media, even when we are not watching. They become more comfortable using the devices because of the necessity it became during homeschooling. As a result, we may see their curiosity rise and their interaction with the internet increase also. Our resources of online learning sky-rocketed during ‘stay home’ orders, and we are thankful for the resource that the internet became in helping our children to continue…
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The Other Pandemic has Exploded

The Other Pandemic has Exploded

Hazards
The Modern Media Committee of Lethbridge recently posted a disturbing article about the increase use of pornography in relation to the COVID-19 epidemic.  On March 13, a popular porn site announced they were giving users in Italy free access with subscriber privileges to their content. Then they did the same with France and Spain. Italy’s porn downloads shot up 57%, France’s 38%, and Spain’s 61%. Their traffic from Europe, Canada, and the US have steadily climbed this month.On March 17 this same site announced that worldwide porn downloads were up 26.4%. In just one month. To put this in perspective, their 2019 Year in Review revealed that the site was visited 42 billion times in 2019—that’s 115 million searches a day. Remember, this is from just one site; there are thousands…
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Google Safe Search

Google Safe Search

Tutorials
GOOGLE SAFE SEARCH Google offers a feature that may help deter explicit material that can come up on your screen when your child is doing a simple Google search for homework.  To make sure Google Safe Search is enabled, open your Google search screen.  You must be signed into your Google account for this to work effectively.  Looking at the screenshot below, on the bottom right, is the settings tab, click that to open, click on Search Settings.  It opens the following screen.  Be sure the “Turn On SafeSearch” is checkmarked.   Scroll down and hit SAVE!! Another feature of safe search, it will decrease the amount of inappropriate images.  Do a google search, click the IMAGES tab, right beside the All.  On the RIGHT of the screen you should…
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How Much is TOO MUCH Sharing?

How Much is TOO MUCH Sharing?

Apps, Guidelines, Hazards
OVERSHARING?Anna updated her status:“Looking for ideas on what to do this weekend while my parents are out of town, input?”Sam shared a picture:“Her curls bounce all over as she’s walking! She is just so cute taking her first steps, we’re so proud!”Anita checked in at ‘Trampoline Park Craze’“This is one 7 year old birthday party my daughter and I will never forget! Let’s JUMP!”Sharing our activities, families, and looking for advice are just a few things that we naturally do as a society these days. It’s our way of connecting with the world and being social with each other. Physically being with our family members and friends isn’t always possible, so it is nice to have the resource of technology to share these updates and receive quick feedback.Until the sharing…
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Vault Apps – Are They Hiding Something?

Vault Apps – Are They Hiding Something?

Apps, Reviews
VAULT APPS - Are They Hiding Something? At first glance one sees a calculator and music app--normal  apps found on a cell phone, right? However, this is an easy way to hide pictures and videos from your typical photo gallery. They are also used to hide chats, searches,downloads within various apps. With a quick Google search, there are You-Tube videos and articles suggesting the best apps available to conceal photos or other information on your cell phone. While some articles boast of the importance of hiding your personal information, credit card information, media files under these vault apps (also called ghost or disguised apps), simple safety settings on your cell phone can do the same.  The most common use for these is to hide inappropriate cell phone pictures/videos or shared…
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Phishing – Don’t take the Bait!

Phishing – Don’t take the Bait!

Guidelines, Hazards, Tutorials
What is phishing? Phishing is a cyber attack that uses disguised email as a weapon. The goal is to trick the email recipient into believing that the message is something they want or need — a request from their bank, for instance, or a note from someone in their company — and to click a link or download an attachment. Learn about the purpose behind phishing attempts and how to identify them to avoid getting scammed. Purpose of phishing If there's a common denominator among phishing attacks, it's the disguise. The attackers spoof their email address so it looks like it's coming from someone else, set up fake websites that look like ones the victim trusts, and use foreign character sets to disguise URLs. Phishing attempts may be aimed at…
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