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8 Criteria For Evaluating Our Kids’ Media

July 20, 2017

My eight-year-old recently met his first Summer Reading Club goal and was eager to pick up his prize- a book of his own. An avid reader who reads at an 8th grade level already, he quickly skimmed past the picture books and chapter books with less than 50 pages to the tween selections.

When he stopped at one with a creepy looking cover, I told him to put it back, but quickly realized the rest were equally as disturbing. Each one featured fantasy or horror themes with ghosts and magic. Finally, disappointed, he ended up choosing a book aimed at 2nd graders that took less than 20 minutes to read at home.

Sadly, this is the state of our children’s media these days. And obviously, paperbacks are just the tip of the iceberg.

Today’s youth are bombarded by a glut of entertainment and social media sources, and an endless stream of movies with II, III, and IV behind their titles. The mass media holds a thousand times more influence over the average teenager now than it did 25 years ago. Just this week, I read about a teen fashion magazine with an article promoting sodomy.

It makes us wonder, is anything sacred anymore?

8 criteria to help you evaluate the messages and content of your kids' media choices. Free printable included! #intentionalparenting #christianparenting #kidsmedia #kidsentertainment

As I mentioned in How To Raise Kids Who Won’t Walk Away From Church, one of the reasons millennials are leaving the faith is because they’re conforming to the ideals of pop culture. A major pipeline of humanist values is secular entertainment, and it’s hard just keeping up with everything our corrupt culture shoves down our children’s throats.

But moms, we can’t check out here. We have to be vigilant and monitor what our kids are watching, reading, surfing, and listening to. Here are 8 criteria we can use to honestly evaluate the content and messages of their media:

Worldview

What perspective of truth, reality, and ethics does this material assume? Biblical? Humanist? Marxist? What solutions does it propose to solve mankind’s problems? What does it conclude about the origin of life? Is the overall theme self-reliance such as following your heart/dreams or finding yourself? Is materialism (greed, consumer mentality) and romanticism (feelings trump truth, love conquers all) pervasive?

Sexual Content

Are the characters committed to purity, both in action and thought? Do they flirt or dress immodestly? Does the material portray risky behaviors without showing consequences?

Family

What view of marriage and children does this type of media show? Do the kids disrespect their parents and continually disobey them? Is the father portrayed as a leader and protector, or as an idiot? Does it portray all types of “families” as equal? Are the parents mostly absent, having little influence over their children?

Government

Does the literature or movie teach and model foundational principles of freedom and liberty? Is government conveyed as the source of rights, and a replacement for godly or parental authority in any way? If a utopian society is depicted, does the media clearly show the harmful effects of such a government?

evaluating kids media

Spiritual Content

Does the protaganist practice witchcraft (casting spells, fortune telling)? Does the media portray magic as morally neutral, casting vampires, wizards, and witches as “good”? Is there worship of many gods? Are there elements of Pantheism (God exists in everything), or New Age spirituality (all religions are equal)?

Language

Is there vulgarity or swear words in the film, music, or book? Do the characters or artists use sexual innuendos? Do they take the Lord’s name in vain? Do these lyrics lead to conviction of certain truths, doctrines, and commands from the Word of God?

Violence

Is violence graphically portrayed or minimized in this video game or movie? Do the characters fight each other, either in war scenes, in the home, or other environments? Do they exhibit behaviors of cutting or self-mutilation, or have a preoccupation with death? Are there references to suicide or murder?

Morality

Does this type of media encourage the breaking of God’s laws and a view of moral relativism? Do the characters exemplify Christ-like character such as self-sacrifice, honesty, forgiveness, bravery, and humility? Do they lie, cheat, steal, speak/think badly of others, or bully? Are they lazy, disrespectful, and selfish?

criteria for evaluating your kids' media

Grab your printable worksheet here!

When evaluating any type of media, whether for our kids or ourselves, we should also ask: “what is the purpose for using it?” Will this source of entertainment contribute in any way to the fear of God in my home? Does it lead to truth, thankfulness, praise, or the betterment of knowledge and life? Does it yield good effects on our family?

Philippians 4:8 should ultimately guide our choices for literature, entertainment, and music:

whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Does a constant regimen of Nickelodeon or Disney really produce the fruits of the spirit in your children?

Evaluating the media our kids consume isn’t just so they may be protected from outside influences that will negatively impact them (John 17:12); it’s so that they can eventually think critically about the type of entertainment they use and the messages society tries to sell them.

Make it a point to watch movies with your children and carefully critique them afterwards. Acknowledge the positive points and then interact with the problems in the area of worldview, ethics, attitudes, and outcome.

And, ideally, a heart that desires to please the Lord will lead our children to make wise decisions. We want them to exhibit self-control, having learned responsibility of media tools. Only so much micromanaging and parental controls are effective if their hearts aren’t changed.

Media and technology aren’t evil in and of themselves. They’re a reflection of humanity, but that mirror often contributes to all forms of sensuality, idolatry, addictions, and isolation… and we’re usually not even aware of it.

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10 Comments
Filed Under: Biblical Worldview, Parenting Tagged: intentional parenting, raising godly kids, worldview

Comments

  1. Rebekah says

    July 21, 2017 at 2:30 pm

    This is great criteria to think about as we look at what our children are reading! I like to read YA and pretty frequently I am shocked at the graphic sexuality and swearing in them. Several series that I have liked otherwise, I have been unable to finish. 🙁

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  2. Andrea says

    July 24, 2017 at 6:49 pm

    I’m so glad that you made reference to Phillippians 4:8 in this post – the best way to test what we are watching on media….

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  3. Kaycee says

    July 25, 2017 at 12:21 am

    This reminded me of an author I had read growing up– Roald Dahl (author of Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, etc.). I never realized until I was much older how badly parents & authority were portrayed and how much of it was “justified.” And I didn’t realize how it affected my view towards my parents either and actually, I remember comparing my dad to Matilda’s. Isn’t that terrible??? And it seems to just be getting worse… we are having to screen/ban certain kids shows for our toddler and I never thought I would have to do that. I hope and pray my children stay as innocent as possible for as long as possible.

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  4. Tiffany says

    July 27, 2017 at 4:30 pm

    This is a great list! Thanks for sharing it Marisa!

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  5. Lauren C. Moye says

    July 31, 2017 at 10:56 am

    I like that you mention discussion at the end of this post. Evaluation of media is great so that we, as parents, are aware. However, books and movies can serve as the training grounds for how to respond to others in our society.

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  6. Rebekah Hargraves says

    July 31, 2017 at 1:58 pm

    This is an invaluable resource, Marisa! Thank you! Filing this one away, as well.

    I love what you said about discussing the content of the media with your child. You really want their minds working and their discernment ability to grow, so that’s a great idea.

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  7. Elizabeth says

    August 7, 2017 at 1:31 pm

    Marisa. thank you for this great list – so thorough. My eldest is just learning to read and I’m so aware it will open up a whole world for him – the good and the bad!

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  8. Rose Barnett (@mRoseBarnett) says

    August 31, 2017 at 8:18 pm

    This is such a timely post for me. Our church has been going over technology and worldliness lately and specifically how it is effecting our children. Parenting today is definitely difficult because now more than ever the media is apart of our home. Before our kids could be sheltered but it’s nearly impossible if you don’t want to live under a rock in a desert.

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  9. Shelley says

    September 8, 2017 at 5:10 pm

    Loving your blog. Out hearts are pulled by the same strings?
    Thank you for this post!
    http://afamilymeeting.com/oneparentingmistakethatcanbeeasilyavoided/

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Trackbacks

  1. 7 Things Every Good Christian Mom Does – Called To Mothering says:
    June 15, 2018 at 4:14 pm

    […] but it will make us a great parent. We need to be aware of what our children are being taught, the kinds of media they’re consuming, and the peers they’re being influenced by. God gave us that “gut instinct” and […]

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Hi! I'm Marisa, a homeschooling mother of two kids, Jesus follower, coffee lover, and Jersey girl transplanted to Oklahoma. I write to encourage women to find purpose and joy in their God-given calling as mothers, and help them raise children with a biblical worldview. Thanks for joining me today! I hope you will grab a cup of coffee, pull up a chair, and stay awhile. Read More…

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