TEENS, SCREENS, THE BRAIN, AND THE BIBLE

Pastor Mike
Woman in pajamas, using a phone, sitting in a small room. The room has a fridge, TV, and window.

The following blog post was written as part of Pastor Cherney’s master’s studies in Clinical Mental Health Counseling


Can you already notice the irony? When you read the title of this post, I’m sure your mind swarmed with every piece of advice you’ve gotten about how to parent teens through their use of screens. I’m assuming you already know that screen time affects our brains. It’s almost comical that we’re accessing information about the harm of screens … on screens.


Screens are, of course, here to stay. And they’re not all bad. They can bring us together as we sit with our sons and daughters for family movie night. With a screen, your son can let you know that practice might run a little long – which you appreciate, because now you don’t need to rush to pick him up. We can even access the Bible and religious content with our screens with the Bible YouVersion app and Christian accounts on YouTube or Tiktok. You can watch or listen to our sermons with your screen, too (Just visit the “Sermons” tab on this site!). So, no matter what we say, screens are not themselves the enemy.


But like all tools, we need to be educated in order to use them wisely. When we’re teaching our teens how to use and appreciate their screens, it helps to know a little bit of science to back up our parenting decisions.


THE BRAIN OF A TEEN

As our children enter adolescence, their brains are developing rapidly. The shift from pre-teen years (“middle-childhood”) into adolescence is characterized by a rapid increase in social awareness (Erford 2022, p.240). That is, developmentally speaking, the teen’s attention turns toward their peers. By the time a child becomes a teen, she has grown dramatically in her emotional intelligence and social awareness, being able to take other people’s perspectives into account and think about other people’s needs (Erford 2022, p.238-240).


The teen’s brain develops in more sophisticated ways. The teen is able to think more abstractly than before, to hold ideas and concepts in their head, to consider possibilities, and to use their creative imagination in new ways (Erford 2022, p.257-258). They are more concerned than ever with discovering right from wrong, and their own relationship to morality (Erford 2022, p.261). The teen is able to think more seriously about big concepts like justice and how human beings should relate to each other (Erford 2022, p.260).


THE EFFECTS OF THE SCREEN

But they aren’t quite into adulthood yet (sorry, guys). Although teens likely reject anything that seems to them like hand-holding from their parents, they still need guidance and teaching. The parental role might shift a little bit, but it is definitely still needed! Think of how the speaker in verses like Proverbs 3:1-10 expresses his desire to guide and safeguard his child by offering this teaching. This is God’s way of speaking to us through that inspired book, but it also reflects the concern any parent has for their son or daughter. We want what’s best for them!

The increase in social awareness is a two-edged sword. Our teens are as socially aware as ever, but that concern can lead them astray. This is where screens come in. A study conducted by West, Puszczynski, and Cohn suggested that increased screen usage across the board was related to increases in anxiety (West et al. 2021). This includes video games and TV, but when we compare these findings to another study (Khan, et al. 2022) it’s social media that correlates to the highest levels of anxiety in teens. Exposure to social media for more than one hour per day was associated with decreased self-esteem, decreased satisfaction with school, and negatively affected body-image (Livet et al. 2024).


Think about it. If you’re flooded with people’s highlight reels, their painstakingly curated photos, their faces gone through fifty different filters, it affects you! You don’t have to be told that this is the way you need to look, act, or live. The “likes” speak that demand clearly enough. While it’s true that ridiculous beauty standards can be transmitted to our youth via film and TV, social media takes the cake for commanding our youth what society thinks they should be like and what they should care about.


Let’s be honest, these effects can be true for adults too! But think about the flood of social feedback teens are faced with when they open a social media app. This even happens without their intention. Of those teens that participated in the study by West et al. (2021), the biggest reason the teens gave for using screens was to cope with boredom.


“SOCIAL MEDIA” IN THE BIBLE?

You might be wondering what the Bible has to say about this. After all, the Bible was written thousands of years before social media was invented. However, there are multiple places where the Bible warns of the psychological and spiritual effects of comparing ourselves to others. In Psalm 73, Asaph is deeply troubled when he observes wicked people finding financial and social success. Psalm 37 encourages us to take our eyes off of the success of others and focus on the Lord. Early we mentioned the book of Proverbs, which is full of encouragements and warnings against focusing too much on other people’s lives (for example, see Proverbs 3:31, Proverbs 24:1-2, Proverbs 24:15-16). The New Testament is also full of encouragements to avoid taking on the priorities of the social world around you, but rather to focus on God’s goodness (see 1 Corinthians 1:27-31).

PARENTING ENCOURAGEMENTS

There was one finding from the study by West et al. (2021) which struck me the most: when researchers compared the anxiety levels of the students who participated in the study, the ones most impacted by screens were adolescent boys who witnessed their parents heavy use of screens. This suggested that youth (especially boys) were more deeply affected by their parents’ relationship with screens than their own – or at least that they had the potential to be. As a father of two wonderful boys (although they’re not teens yet), this was a dart through my heart. We can talk all day about our children and screens, but what about us parents? What kind of examples are we setting? Even if you’re not a parent, what impression are you leaving on the youth in your life by your screen-related behavior?

Romans 8:1 says that there is no condemnation for us. The sacrifice of Christ on his cross is full and free, and even covers over our sins of setting bad examples for our kids. None of us are perfect parents, and our imperfections are forgiven by Christ. So now, without guilt or shame, let’s talk about what we can do for our youth. When we listen to the research that’s being done regarding teens and screens, we can come up with a few things to consider going forward.



IDEAS TO TRY

  1. Be okay with boredom. Many adolescents reported using screens to cope with boredom. Boredom itself is not the main issue, but coping with it is. Nor is boredom a sin. Nobody ever died from being bored. When screens are readily at hand, they are a convenient excuse to avoid sitting and twiddling one’s thumbs. But a constant refusal to be bored might result in a teen who isn’t used to (or even capable of!) just sitting with his thoughts.
  2. Set limits. The majority of the teens who participated in the West et al. study (2021) reported that their parents didn’t enforce any boundaries with screen use in the home. They were able to watch tv and look at their phone in bed without restriction. Since we know how much prolonged screen time can affect the developing teen’s brain, this seems like a simple necessary step to help them. You might anticipate some resistance. We don’t want to become the enemy. So…
  3. Let the teen in. Maybe there’s some room for negotiation and curiosity. Ask your teen, “What’s your relationship with social media?” “When you find yourself online for a long time, how do you usually feel afterwards?” “What difference do you notice when you take a break from screens?” Ask about their impressions and thoughts about you and your screen usage – and be ready for the answer! Maybe it’s time for a joint-agreement that when everyone’s at home, the screens get put away, and instead we focus on quality family time.
  4. Recognize their need for connection. Teens want to grow socially. Some of the information we’ve discussed shows that teens prioritize meaningful interactions, and that social media isn’t getting them there. What can you do as a family that reinforces connection? What opportunities to connect with other teens can they explore with your support? Remember that screens themselves are not the enemy, but rather what we do with them. So, don’t discount the power of a family movie night.
  5. Remind them who they are. We are all being constantly bombarded with messages about who we should be and what we should be doing. Teens are getting all of these messages too, but at a time when they’re struggling to figure out who they are in the first place. If you aren’t already having devotions at home or regularly discussing their relationship with Christ, now is the time to start. Let your teen hear God’s voice speak to them above all the noise, telling them that they are beautifully and wonderfully made, and that God created them because he wants them on this world so they can know him and his love (Psalm 139:13-14).


FINAL THOUGHTS

Maybe you try all of the above and it blows up in your face. After a few months of doing your best to monitor your own screen time, to include devotions in your family schedule, and to try to talk through these issues with your teen, their screen-related anxiety has not been cured. That’s okay, and it’s not a sign that all has been lost. However, it might be a signal that it’s time to seek some professional help – for you and your teen. Research has strongly suggested that therapeutic treatments such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which target a person’s thinking patterns and reactions to information like social media, are extremely effective at reducing social anxiety in even younger children (Muris & Meyer, 2001).

Finally, consider what kind of messages you and your teen are getting on a daily basis. It can be easy to browse social media mindlessly, but as we’ve seen from the research, this subjects us to so many other opinions about what our lives should be like. It impacts how we view ourselves. My final encouragement would be to find as many ways as possible to let God’s voice be the dominant one in your day-to-day. If it affects your teen to see you on your phone, what would happen if your teen witnessed you reading your Bible instead? If your teen is watching you to “set the tone” for their relationship with technology, what can you show them about their relationship with God? Taking them to church where they can hear, sing, and pray about God’s love for them, talking about the sermon or service on the way home, and including more conversations about God’s love throughout their week are all great, necessary steps to letting God’s voice for them ring louder than all the noise they’re going to hear. I don’t doubt that it will help you too.

 

Sources:

Erford, B. T. (2022). An advanced lifespan odyssey for counseling professionals. Brooks/Cole.


Khan, A., Lee, E.-Y., & Horwood, S. (2022). Adolescent screen time: associations with school stress and school satisfaction across 38 countries. European Journal of Pediatrics, 181(6), 2273–2281. https://doi-org.blcproxy.mnpals.net/10.1007/s00431-022-04420-z


Livet, A., Boers, E., Laroque, F., Afzali, M. H., McVey, G., & Conrod, P. J. (2024). Pathways from adolescent screen time to eating related symptoms: a multilevel longitudinal mediation analysis through self-esteem. Psychology & Health, 39(9), 1167–1182.

https://doi-org.blcproxy.mnpals.net/10.1080/08870446.2022.2141239


Muris, P., & Mayer, B. (2001). The revised version of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED-R): Treatment sensitivity in an early intervention trial for childhood anxiety disorders. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 40(3), 323.

https://doi-org.blcproxy.mnpals.net/10.1348/014466501163724


Nagata, J. M., Al-Shoaibi, A. A. A., Leong, A. W., Zamora, G., Testa, A., Ganson, K. T., & Baker, F. C. (2024). Screen time and mental health: a prospective analysis of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. BMC Public Health, 24(1), 1–13.

https://doi-org.blcproxy.mnpals.net/10.1186/s12889-024-20102-x


Nesi, J., Rothenberg, W. A., Bettis, A. H., Massing-Schaffer, M., Fox, K. A., Telzer, E. H., Lindquist, K. A., & Prinstein, M. J. (2022). Emotional Responses to Social Media Experiences Among Adolescents: Longitudinal Associations with Depressive Symptoms. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 51(6), 907–922. https://doi-org.blcproxy.mnpals.net/10.1080/15374416.2021.1955370


West, S., Puszczynski, R., & Cohn, T. (2021). Exploring Recreational Screen Time and Social Anxiety in Adolescents. Pediatric Nursing, 47(3), 133–140.

https://doi-org.blcproxy.mnpals.net/10.62116/pnj.2021.47.3.133

The Art of Giving: Conclusion

By Pastor Mike • June 27, 2025
There! Now that we’ve cleared up all the misunderstandings above giving an offering, we are all ready to worship God in this way with regularity and joy! I’m just kidding. We’ve only touched on a few of the false conceptions that are possible. Because giving is an act of sanctification – a fruit of faith, thankfully offered to God in response to the gospel – it is something to “grow into.” There may still be misgivings, questions, and reluctance. Some readers may have been seriously hurt by church leaders who prevailed too strongly upon their debit cards and bank accounts. To those, one blog post will not be sufficient to restore the act of giving to its Scriptural, rightful place. For others, giving was never properly explained as a fruit of faith, not an act that earns goodness from God. To those, I pray this discussion has been helpful. I write this post as one who is himself growing in the act of giving. May God continue to shape our understanding of how to use our gifts to his glory. Giving to God is not a science. The act of giving looks differently among Christians, just as their acts of service and fruits of faith look differently. There are no hard-and-fast equations. We can’t say that giving an offering ensures that you’ll get rich in return (maybe God will choose to bless you in this way, maybe not). We can’t say that giving will come easy once you have a more stable income (your sinful nature will likely resist no matter how much income you have). We can’t say that you should never feel concerned or self-critical over your giving (is there ever an amount that will properly express your thankfulness to God?). So, I would say that giving is much more of an art. After taking in all of Scripture’s guidance about how to approach the act of giving, we proceed using our best judgment. We start with the gospel, meditating on what wonderful things God has done for us through Jesus Christ. We then look at the gifts God has given to us: our finances, our time, our personality gifts. We envision how to respond to God’s goodness with these gifts. While there are some acts of giving that will look very similar among various Christians (for example, we all give of our time when we attend worship and Bible study together), each one of us goes through our own process of deciding how best to respond to the gospel with our gifts. We submit our hearts to God for audit, recognizing that there are often mixed motives within them (Psalm 139:23-24). We rely on God to work within us and through us even as we thank him (Philippians 2:13). After all, this is about our relationship with God – not about securing it for ourselves with offerings, because it is already secure in Christ. Rather, it is about living out a relationship of worship with God, expressing to him and to the world what he means to us. To that end, let’s close with these verses from Hebrews: “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” (Hebrews 13:15-16) God bless you as you find joy in God’s pleasure over you for Christ’s sake, and as you respond to this gospel with thanksgiving! Pastor Mike Cherney 

The Art of Giving: Misunderstanding #5 – We live under the Tithe Law (giving one tenth of one’s gifts).

By Pastor Mike • June 27, 2025
This is a very common conception of the offering, and up to this point it might appear that we also teach the tithe – the practice of giving one tenth of one’s goods as a matter of the law, and not to deviate from that percentage. This is commanded to the Old Testament Israelites in passages such as Leviticus 27:30. But Christ has set us free from the letter of the law (Colossians 2:14, Colossians 2:16-17, Galatians 4:4-5). When the New Testament commands the act of giving, percentages are not mentioned. What is mentioned, however, is that giving be proportionate (1 Corinthians 16:2), generous (2 Corinthians 9:6), done with joy (2 Corinthians 9:7), and a good work sprung from trust in the Lord (2 Corinthians 9:8-11). This is not as specific as the tithe rule. It requires one to spend time reasoning out what a manageable and reasonable gift looks like for them, while still reflecting the thanksgiving and generosity that they wish to communicate in response to the gospel. In many households, ten percent remains a useful benchmark for giving, but must not be treated as a law. Some households will not be able to afford that amount. For others, “proportionate” giving means giving much more than ten percent. It is a lot easier for church leaders to make hard-and-fast rules to “keep people in line,” rather than offer these general encouragements. However, if we remember that giving is an act of worship in response to the gospel, we will avoid strictly laying down ground rules that Scripture no longer enforces. Instead, we will focus on sharing the beautiful gospel with our members, friends, and community, and allow the Holy Spirit to create and nurture the gospel joy that inspires acts of thanksgiving. Likewise, if someone’s giving is “off-kilter,” we don’t want to address their giving with the desire that they “get those numbers up.” That would convey that our worth in God’s family comes from our works. Instead, we express concern over their connection to the gospel, and nurture their relationship with Jesus through Word and Sacrament. Then, and only then, can we discuss what a proper response to the gospel looks like in our giving. Go to next post in this series

The Art of Giving: Misunderstanding #4 – We give ONLY to keep the church running.

By Pastor Mike • June 27, 2025
This misunderstanding is based partly on truth, but becomes misguided when it is treated as the main issue. Like millions of churches across the world, our church is a not-for-profit organization. We rely solely on the offerings of members to keep the doors open and the air conditioner running. It would stand to reason, then, that we should encourage giving so that the work of the church can continue, don’t you think? After all, the Levites (ministers in the tabernacle and temple worship of the Old Testament) were to rely on the offerings of the rest of the tribes of Israel for their livelihood (Numbers 18:21). The Apostle Paul encouraged offerings so that Christians in dire financial need could be provided for (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). There is a practical side to giving an offering. However, this should not be divorced from the attitude of thankful worship described above. Above all, giving an offering is a fruit of faith inspired by thankfulness in response to the infinite grace of God. It is an act of worship. The opportunity to praise God in this way does not cease when the church’s bills are paid off any more than your need to come to worship services ceases when church attendance is up. Go to next post in this series

The Art of Giving Misunderstanding #3 – Giving an offering if optional.

By Pastor Mike • June 27, 2025
In Romans 12:4-8, Paul lists generous giving as but one example of service that God equips people to render within the church. This could lead to the thought that giving is optional for Christians. That would be misguided. Proverbs 3:9 says, “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops.” Wealth takes many forms. For the Old Testament believer, their material blessings primarily took the forms of crops, flocks, and herds. For most modern Americans, God bestows wealth in the form of finances and material blessings. The directives in both Old and New Testaments to praise God by bringing an offering from our wealth are so thorough that one can hardly ignore or side-step the issue at hand. It is true that our whole lives are to be offered to God as thank offerings for what he’s done (Romans 12:1). It is also true that God is more concerned with the attitude of the heart than with the dollar amount given (see passages above as well as Mark 12:41-44). But it is also true that God’s design for showering us with material gifts is that we honor him in front of others by giving a portion back through this act of worship we have been calling “an offering.” As Psalm 50:23 says, “Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me.” Not all Christians are capable of giving the same amount, or even the same proportion of what they have (we’ll talk about this more in a second), but God’s Word is so full of directives about giving that it is hard for any one of us to exempt ourselves. To put it another way, God seems to be completely comfortable telling us what to do with our money. After all, we only have it in the first place because he gave it to us (see the response to Misunderstanding #1). Go to next post in this series

The Art of Giving: Misunderstanding #2 – God doesn’t care about your offerings.

By Pastor Mike • June 27, 2025
If the discussion is about how we’re saved, how we know that we have a good relationship with God, then offerings have no place in that discussion, nor any work that we do. But it does not follow that offerings have no significance whatsoever. Placing a financial gift into the collection plate or box, or donating through our online service, is a work. We are saved purely by God’s grace through faith, and not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). God loved and saved you apart from anything to do with your potential to “pay him back” with a weekly offering. Jesus gave up his life as the atoning sacrifice for your sins without consideration of your cash flow or income bracket. But when the conversation shifts from “how we are saved” to “how do we thank God for our salvation” or “how do we live out our identity as God’s people,” offerings do have a part in that discussion. Offerings do not provide God with anything he needs, but they are expressions of our heart’s orientation toward him. In both Malachi 3:8-10 and Psalm 51:17-19, giving a sacrificial gift is presented as a way of demonstrating one’s repentance (sorrow over sin and seeking salvation only from God). Giving of what we have is also a communication of our confident trust that God will continue to provide for us. He may supply our needs extravagantly, far above what is necessary. He may only give us our daily bread (Luke 11:3). That’s for him to decide. What’s always true is that God will always provide in some way, shape, or form (Psalm 145:15-16). We have previously defined faith as a trust relationship with God. What better way to say, “I trust you, Lord, and I thank you,” than to give? Go to next post in this series

The Art of Giving: Misunderstanding #1 – God needs our offerings.

By Pastor Mike • June 27, 2025
Psalm 50:9-13 says, “I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?” What did offerings look like before money was invented? The Israelites in the Old Testament worshipped God by giving of their crops, herds, and flocks. In these verses, God makes it clear that the purpose of these offerings was not because he gets hungry and needs to be fed. He is the immortal, eternal, completely self-sufficient God. Sometimes I really think of myself as an asset to God, as if I provide him with something to him that he otherwise would not have had. Or that God relies on my gifts and service to be able to “do his thing.” These thoughts are delusions that come from my (our) selfish pride. There is a part of our hearts (the sinful nature) that would love to assure ourselves of God’s love because of what we do. But to believe this would amount to believing that God’s love is for those who are worthy – who give enough, serve enough, and are generally good enough. The person who gives millions of dollars to their church no more deserves God’s love than the one who gives fifty cents. It is God’s grace (his decision to unconditionally love sinners) that has saved you, not your actions (Ephesians 2:8-9). Whenever we fall prey to these delusions in the equation of God’s salvation, we should remember David’s words. When his eyes feasted on the beautiful offerings the Israelites brought for the construction of the temple, “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand” (1 Chronicles 29:14). As the hymn goes, “We give Thee but Thine own.” Go to next post in this series
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