Modesty isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when discussing modern technology. Yet there’s a strong connection between what your tween or teen sees on her screens and her perceptions of what is modest. Consider Christine’s story: one photo giving the impression of nudity eventually resulted in despair and suicidal thoughts.
Educating our kids about modesty may be more important now than at any other time in history. It’s too easy to exploit immodesty via cell phones, social media platforms, and videos. So let’s consider the full meaning of modesty. Being modest in our clothing means not showing too much of our body. The reason for modest clothing is because often our clothing is a reflection of our attitude. Being modest in our attitude means not being too proud or confident about ourselves or our abilities. Modest clothing is a way to keep from drawing undue attention to ourselves.
In our culture, there’s somewhat of a competition of who can look the sexiest and most provocative. Images become videos, and videos with the most likes and forwards are generally those that involve some sort of sexual content. There’s tremendous pressure on your preteen or teen to wear revealing clothing that gives a very clear message that her physical body is to be desired. The pressure isn’t only on your daughter. There’s just as much pressure on your teen son to look sexually desirable and to view females in a sexual way. This pressure appeals to our prideful tendencies, the side that says, “Look at me! Look what I’ve got.”
Now more than ever, it’s important to teach our kids that modesty is not just a matter of fashion—it’s a matter of humility and a proper attitude toward ourselves.
Managing technology for your kids—and yourself—requires intentionality and consistency on your part. These things won’t just happen—you need to be purposeful, calculated, and intentional to make them happen. If your family is like most, this isn’t easy. Safeguarding your family from the dangers of technology requires effort.
Of course, technology isn’t all bad: it’s provided us with great conveniences, medical benefits, opportunities for global communication, and other positive things. But life can also be good without technology. Whether technology helps your family or harms it depends on how you establish its value and usage for your family. As a parent, you have the opportunity to guide, teach, and model how to have a healthy, balanced relationship with technology.
