Smartphones can be used to build faith in young people in the church

Instead of banning phones and blaming screens, Andy Robertson urges families and churches to listen, innovate, and disciple young people in both digital and physical spaces

For an alternative view see here.

We’ve all seen it: teenagers distracted by their phones rather than engaging with the world around them. When this is a Sunday service, or, a youth event, it’s frustrating and saddening when youngsters can’t put their phones away.

These devices are designed to be distracting, and newspaper headlines suggest they are addictive and harmful. Some churches are considering a similar approach to schools that require youth to lock away their phones upon entering the building.

we want to understand what’s happening in the heart and spirit of our teenagers rather than just what’s happening in their hands

However, we want to understand what’s happening in the heart and spirit of our teenagers rather than just what’s happening in their hands. We have a chance to avoid rushing with the wider culture to blame smartphones for childhood ills and instead think creatively about what social and societal harms are really happening here. Rather than blaming smartphones for the state of childhood, as Christians, we have an opportunity to bring light, honesty and clarity to the technology debate.

Despite headlines and books like The Anxious Generation that suggest children are tricked into smartphone addiction, this idea has been clearly debunked by academics like Professor Peter Gray and Professor Candice Odgers who work directly with this research. Based on current studies, it’s not true that smartphones are ……