What the pastors who are working with these kids need to understand is that the things often marketed to kids as wondrous are going to damage them spiritually because they appeal to vanity, desire, fantasy, hate—you can express things on-line that you would never express in public. You have to recognize the extent of the problem and know it will only get worse.
You have to create a space in young people's lives where they are disconnected from all of this stuff and doing something else. Maybe have youth pastors organize a book club or reading club for kids. This sounds like a very pedestrian response to technology but the important thing is it has to be regular and scheduled and supported in a group fashion. Reading used to be a ritual in everyday life. It was simply part of your day to sit down and read. It's the ritualized aspect of it that we need to restore.
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YWJ: How can youth workers and teachers and parents cut through the noise to have quality educational interactions with kids?
Bauerlein: Communicate with them the belief that computers, the Internet, et cetera, can damage their development. And tell them that the hype is just that— hype. Challenge them to try new things, like writing a paper with pen and paper and not on the computer.
I think they know the media is unhealthy for them, but very few authority figures are willing to say so. They appreciate hearing someone saying that there is no substitute for sitting and reading a novel uninterrupted. And reading online is different from reading pages. Youth readers read in an F pattern when they read online. They are trying to get snippets of information they can use, not actually acquiring knowledge.
YWJ: What is truly different or worrisome about the ways new entertainment technology impacts kids?
Bauerlein: The content of their favorite materials. It's vulgar, unintelligent, adolescent, and often violent. I will say these materials prevent young people from having contact with other materials that introduce them to the adult realities of modern life and the intellectual tools and skills to enter the modern workplace.
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Lara M. Van Hulzen is a freelance writer and mother of three from Northern California.
