Looking for the perfect biblical character for a prestige TV show? Look no further than King David. The backstory of the guy is loaded with action, drama and political intrigue. He dealt with literally insane, murderous bosses and ungrateful kids. He made his share of mistakes, too, but David was still considered a man after God’s own heart.

Well, Amazon’s Prime Video is now offering its viewers—Christian and secular alike—an opportunity to dive into David’s story (with a bit of extra-biblical material added to the broth) with House of David.

Kennedy Unthank recently had a chance to interview series creator Jon Erwin and some of the show’s stars. We’ll listen to a few of those conversations and talk about the show itself.

Granted, some of you might be a little behind in your television watching. Why? Because you’re in the middle of Plugged In’s 2025 Screen Fast, of course! As a matter of fact, there’s just a couple of days left to go. I went on my own screen fast a few weeks ago and, if you’re like me, you’re ready to pick up your phones again. But you might not want to return to your same old habits. How do you engage with your screens in a more healthy, less obsessive way? We’ll talk about that very subject with Emily Tsiao and Jonathan McKee.

So take a listen, won’t you? And then, chime in with your own thoughts. Are you watching House of David? Are you watching anything at all? How did your own screen fast go? Let us know on Facebook and Instagram, or write us a missive at team@thepluggedinshow.com. You can leave a message at The Plugged In Show homepage, too.

And join us next week when Adam Holz returns to the host’s chair to talk about how to have a family movie night.

The post Episode 277: ‘House of David.’ Plus, the Screen Fast Is Almost Over! Now What? appeared first on Plugged In.

But a few of us on the Plugged In team thought it might be a good idea to do our own screen fasts before March 7, just to see whether we could walk the walk.

And could we? Well, read on to find out.

The Pain …

Now, we’re not asking anyone to quit school or work to participate in our screen fast. You can still text your boss. You can still write that overdue term paper. And at Plugged In, where our jobs are literally all about screens, chucking them completely just wasn’t in the cards. I still watched and reviewed a movie or two. I still used my computer to type up my reviews.

But even so, the fast was harder than you might imagine.

I’ve spent a lot of my career talking about how sneaky screentime can be—and how it always feels like someone else’s problem. But when I set aside my own phone, turned out it was sneakier than I realized: It’s my problem, too.

Typically, as soon as my alarm goes off (on my phone, of course), I check headlines. Maybe do a couple of small duties for a “casual” game I play. Maybe, if I have time, do a quick French lesson via a language app I use.

During the screen fast, my alarm would go off and I … wouldn’t quite know what to do.

More time to get ready for work, right? I could use that time to comb my hair.

But the evenings proved to be the much more difficult challenge. After dinner, how could I wile away the evening without picking up a game controller? Or flipping on a little television? Or even scrolling through some Reels? Suddenly, I had a couple extra hours to kill, and it made me a little, um, cranky.

So what was I to do?

Turns out, quite a bit.

The Gain

So, if you’ve seen me on YouTube (or if you scroll to the bottom of this blog to see my staff photo), you know my hair doesn’t need a lot of attention. But what did? My spiritual life. I put those extra morning minutes straight into more time with the Bible and prayer.

I read more in the evening, too, rekindling the joy of simply sitting down with a good book and a good light. My wife and I dug out some little-used board games and started playing them. (I think I finally understand Wingspan.) I helped my wife cook dinner, too—and to my great surprise, had a blast doing it.

That’s when the beauty of the screen fast became so obvious to me. Who knew that cutting up vegetables would come with so many tangible benefits? Not only did it give my wife and I more time to talk about our respective days; not only did I get to fling around a knife for a while; but I also think the food tasted better. It had nothing to do with my chopping veggies (because no matter how you slice it, literally, broccoli is still broccoli) and everything to do with the experience of helping prepare the food.

And that, right there, is a nice analogy of what fasting from screens might do for your lives: When you fast from screens, everything tastes better. You remember how fun it is to read a good book. You discover a new game that’s way better than spending 45 minutes mindlessly scrolling through TikTok. When you talk with your spouse, or your kids, or your friends, you concentrate on the conversation. Why? Because your phone isn’t begging you to look at it, instead.

The Aftermath

By definition, a fast is about giving up something. You forego that thing—food, chocolate, caffeine, technology—for a certain amount of time. But when we think of fasting in spiritual terms, it’s always been about getting something, too: We draw closer to God.

That was the impetus of the screen fast from the get-go. Yes, we give up something, and it’s not something that’s easy to give up. There’s a reason why we spend so much time on our screens, after all; they feed us content that’s fun, interesting, relaxing and sometimes, addicting. We do more than consume it: We crave it.

Stepping away from screens is a way to make ourselves aware of those cravings, yes. But it’s also an opportunity to remind us of the beauties and joys that perhaps we’ve forgotten about.

I’m through with my screen fast now. But I’ve not returned to the same level of screen usage as I had before. My mornings are still more Bible than phone. I’m reading more books, cutting more vegetables, taking more walks.

What would you do if you cut down—or cut out—screens for a week? Want to find out? Join us, won’t you? All you need to do is go to Screen Fast 2025 to find out more.

The post I Gave Up Screens for a Week. And It Was (Mostly) Great. appeared first on Plugged In.

You haven’t heard of those? Yeah, it’s a new AI-powered necklace that listens in on your interactions with others and then tosses in comments to you through text messages. (Some people don’t find that creepy at all.)

But digital hearts and eves-dropping chatbots aren’t what I’m really here to talk about.

For a minute, I want us to think about the idea of artificial intelligence. I mean, how do we want to relate to it today and tomorrow? Will we make it a welcome companion and helper, will we steel ourselves for a fight, or are we just going to pretend we can ignore it?

Oh, and yes, I used the word “pretend” on purpose. After all, at this point AI is all around us and in everything we work with. So, outside ditching your phone and setting up a tent in the middle of nowhere, there’s really no way to give it the cold shoulder. You may have this false sense that artificial intelligence is a relatively new thing that really doesn’t concern you. But it’s been around since it took its first baby steps as Arthur Samuel’s checkers-playing program way back in the early 1950s. And it’s been reaching out with an open hand ever since.

Why does AI seem so new? Well, as AI has grown and gotten more powerful and influential, it has also become more invisible. Not only is it now making our phones more helpful and getting Amazon to push us sales on our favorite dog sweaters, it’s controlling far more than we recognize with far more acumen than we give it credit for.

For instance, when you call your credit card company and that pleasant AI assistant helps you out, do you consider everything that’s going on? As you speak into your phone, that company AI has to perceive speech patterns, nuances, accents, and intonations. It must match your start-stop-mumble of a request against massive amounts of sample data in an attempt to give you a usable answer or send you in the right direction.  

AI also performs data mining through vast reference sets for us and other heavy lifting duties every day. For example, have you ever tried watching Netflix with spotty WiFi? Of course you have. As you watch, there are times when the picture gets all fuzzy as the data stream thins out. Did you know that Netflix’s AI tries to identify how important a scene you’re watching is as it divvies up the bandwidth for a given stream? So the big melting face scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark will be given more bandwidth than, say, the opening credits of a She-Ra episode. And you didn’t even know AI was hard at work to make that runny goo crystal clear.

And there’s more. Much more. Self-driving cars; spam-filtering on emails; opening doors for the disabled; fraud detection on your credit card account; robotic vacuum cleaners; video and image creation; music writing and audio tools; simple medical advice; grammatically corrected rewrites. The list of ways that AI is helping us stretches on and on.

On the other hand, your AI companion isn’t necessarily your best friend. If you’ve been paying attention to our quickly moving world, you’ve seen how incredibly open we humans can be to a well-tailored influencer. And AI is as smartly groomed as it gets because, well, its approach to you is all based on what you and those around you give it.

So, if you’re not paying close attention, AI can deftly change your purchasing decisions, your social values and your political views with just the right social media feed and just the right messaging. For that matter, what happens if over time we start to prefer the consistent and tailored responses of our trusted AI friend over the unpredictable and messy stuff of a real, live human conversation? Will we be sharp enough to see the problem?

We shouldn’t close our eyes to either the potentially good side or the potentially not-so-great side of our AI chum. As Proverbs 4:7 declares: “Get wisdom. Though it costs you all you have, get understanding.” So read about how AI impacts your life. Listen to podcasts and other sources of information on the topic. Pay attention and make wise choices. Realize that even a family dog—mankind’s oldest companion—can sometimes bite.

And let’s face it, AI has sharper teeth. I mean, have you ever played it in a game of checkers?

The post Your AI Companion Has Its Hand Outstretched. Do You? appeared first on Plugged In.

Screens are a huge part of our lives, factoring in to work, school, communication and entertainment. If you live in America, you almost certainly own a smartphone, ready to ping you with the latest text, news or social media notification, day or night.

At times, our screens can seem inescapable—not that we always want to escape from them. Hey, I get it: I work for Plugged In, which involves watching all sorts of screen-based entertainment, yet when the workday is done, I still often find myself scrolling through my phone or browsing TV at home.

But what if there was a way to take a step back from our personal screens, to instead pour that time back into our relationships with God, family and friends?

Good news! Plugged In is offering just that through Screen Fast 2025! We invite your family to join us as we take a week to unplug from screens and reconnect with our loved ones. You can sign up here!

But maybe you’re wondering why a fast from screens would even be a beneficial thing for families to do. More good news! Here are three easy benefits of doing a screen fast …

Benefit #1: Boost Your Family’s Happiness and Peace

Screens can be stressful, especially ones connected to the internet. The temptation to check our messages or the news can be constant, and it can rob us of meaningful interactions with those around us or some much needed rest.

Taking a break from our screens can provide an opportunity to truly relax, recharge and reconnect.

Benefit #2: Protect Your Brain

Screens aren’t inherently bad, but they can become a problem when we overdo it. And, boy, it sure is easy to use them too much. We start to crave that dopamine hit that our devices provide, which can desensitize our brains and lead us to seek more stimulation from those same screens. And that becomes a big problem when unbridled screen use reduces cognitive capacity or leads to neurodegeneration—for both kids and adults.

Fasting from our devices can give us a clean break from unhealthy tech habits and provide illuminating perspective. After a screen fast, you’ll better understand how you and your family are affected by screens. And you’ll be better equipped to make some positive changes in your tech habits moving forward.

Benefit #3: Improve Family Interactions

More time looking at a screen means less time interacting with others, whether it’s family or friends. And that can lead to a diminished understanding of nonverbal communication, an important skill to build and maintain. When our devices hurt our ability to communicate in person, face to face, that’s a problem. And it’s not just an issue that kids struggle with: About 50% of teens say their parents get distracted by phones when having a conversation with them.

By participating in a screen fast, your family can enjoy in-person interactions free from device-related distractions. That can lead to better communication and intentional family time as you gift each other with undivided attention.

Join Us for Screen Fast 2025!

If these benefits sound good to you, why not consider joining us for Screen Fast 2025? It’s completely free, and when you sign up, you’ll receive tons of great content to guide you and your family through a weeklong fast. It’s the perfect opportunity to reset your family’s screen usage and take steps to build healthier tech and entertainment habits in your home. Sign up today!

The post Three Surprising Benefits of a “Screen Fast” appeared first on Plugged In.

What about your own screen time? Do you spend too much time on your phone?

According to Pew Research, roughly half of U.S. parents believe they spend too much time on their devices (compared to only 38% of teenagers who believe they spend too much time on their own screens). But cutting back on screen time—for yourself and for your kids—can be pretty burdensome.

It’s a source of contention, with 4 in 10 parents and teens saying that the screen-time battle regularly leads to arguments. And honestly, sometimes it’s just hard: 43% of parents say managing their teenager’s screen time is difficult.

Many people use the new year as an opportunity to cut back on their screen time. Unfortunately, 23% of people who make New Year’s resolutions quit by the end of the first week in January. By the month’s end, that number nearly doubles.

Well, the end of January is upon us, which means that about half of those who committed to making (or breaking) new habits this year have already thrown in the towel.

To those who are still going strong in their resolutions, I commend you. And I really do hope you see it through to the end of the year.

But for the rest of us, how do we curb our bad screen-time habits?

It may not be as hard as you think.

Some folks may opt to go cold turkey. No phones, no tablets, no TV. Researchers at Ruhr-Universität Bochum in Germany found that people who did this for one week did, in fact, spend less time on their phones daily (38 minutes) four months later.

However, that same research found that those who simply reduced their screen time by an hour per day for one week spent even less time on their phones four months later than the abstinence group did (45 minutes).

So when should you do this?

Well, you can start right now! Or, you know, once you finish reading this article (but I promise I won’t be offended if you put your phone down before you reach the end).

Or, if you’re someone who likes to have a set timeline and goals, you can also join the Plugged In staff on March 7 for our week-long Screen Fast. All week long, we’ll provide you with written materials suggesting activities to try in your new spare time, information on the benefits of taking a break from screens and even some short devotionals to help keep you motivated.

So join us—you can sign up at this link—and once the fast is over, let us know how it went. We’d love to hear what you did when you weren’t on your screens, how it affected your overall screen time and what your future plans are for keeping screen time down.

The post Reducing Screen Time: Why We Struggle So Much appeared first on Plugged In.

And he hasn’t left his home in years.

He’s one example of a person dubbed hikikomori—a Japanese word describing someone who withdraws from society. Specifically, they don’t physically go in to work or school, isolating themselves in their home or even bedroom for a period longer than six months. And Japan estimates that nearly 2 million citizens (1.6% of its population) fit this description.

The concept of hikikomori has been around since the late 1980s in Japan. But where this phenomenon was once thought to be a culturally bound issue—the result of widescale retreat from stringent societal pressures regarding Japanese school and work performance and expectations—experts warn that this silent epidemic is spreading globally. 

Defining Hikikomori

Those dubbed hikikomori suffer from a kind of social anxiety that is elsewhere defined as “extreme social withdrawal.” For a variety of reasons, they voluntarily sequester themselves away from the world at large, opting instead to remain in the comfort of their home or bedroom, where they maintain as few relationships as necessary. They tend to have higher rates of depression and anxiety, and the self-imposed isolation only exacerbates those issues.

Across the world, men between the ages of 15 and 34 make up the largest hikikomori demographic, though women in this age group are similarly affected. Many, though not all, live with their parents well into adulthood—although a smaller portion lives alone, working remote jobs to survive. And one study differentiates between hikikomori and those who are defined as “NEET” (Not in Education, Employment or Training), since the latter may still engage in society despite their apathy towards work.

As the rate of hikikomori continues to grow, various governments have started researching ways to combat the issue. Japan, for instance, has opened government-funded community centers specifically for hikikomori. In South Korea, hikikomori are offered nearly $500 per month as a stipend to encourage them to reintegrate into society.

The rate of hikikomori varies by nation but tends to increase in countries with higher rates of connection to the Internet. And initial studies regarding the United States estimate that the rate of those living here as hikikomori could be as high as 2.7% (nearly 9 million people).

What Causes Hikikomori?

While there is no definitive issue that causes someone to become hikikomori, there are some factors that increase the chance that someone may choose to adopt the solitary lifestyle. According to “Contemporary Hermits: A Developmental Psychopathology Account of Extreme Social Withdrawal (Hikikomori) in Young People” (a study published by the Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review), underlying psychiatric disorders, societal pressures, adverse relationships and excessive use of the Internet all increase the risk of someone becoming a “contemporary hermit.”

It’s important to note that, in the case of psychiatric disorders, becoming hikikomori is more often the result rather than the cause of a mental health issue. For instance, someone with depression may be more likely to socially isolate themselves. But “Contemporary Hermits” identifies five neurological disorders that are positively associated with someone becoming hikikomori: schizophrenia, social anxiety disorder, depression, autism spectrum disorder and avoidant personality disorder.

In terms of societal pressures, the study suggests that a competitive job market might be another reason for the retreat. With teens and young adults increasingly believing that college is a required step toward obtaining a job that offers financial security, the added pressure and economic investment could feel like impossibly heavy burdens. So those who believe they’re falling behind their peers may experience the urge to simply give up the rat race altogether. It’s no wonder, then, that the majority of hikikomori come from middle- to higher-class backgrounds, since their parents can afford for them to stay home instead of becoming financially independent and moving out.

The study also highlights that, in just over three-fifthsof all hikikomori cases, “dysfunctional family dynamics were clearly present” and were “characterized by high levels of conflict and instability, poor communication, excessive control, lack of empathy, and excessive criticism, which are all features that potentially endanger the development and emotional well-being of the individual family members.”

Regarding adverse relationships, the study’s authors also hypothesize that parenting styles that either overindulge children or overprotect them could lead to a learned dependency that could encourage hikikomori tendencies. And outside of the home, another study published by Cambridge University Press found a positive relationship between “peer victimization and perceived peer acceptance” with self- and parent-reported withdrawal levels.

Excessive Internet use can also reinforce a solitary lifestyle. Government reports indicate that “adolescents who spent more than 3 hours per day on social media faced double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes including symptoms of depression and anxiety”—mental health issues directly correlated to hikikomori. Additionally, those who feel better locked away from the world are further supported by grocery and food delivery apps, remote work and endless online entertainment—factors that allow someone to receive many basic needs without ever having to step outside.

What Can Parents Do?

Because there is no singular cause for why someone might become hikikomori, there’s likewise no singular answer for parents who fear their child may be on this path. But there is hope, as many self-identified hikikomori have gone on to escape the lifestyle. (This report from CNN covers a handful of such cases.)

Many contemporary hermits desire a return to society. Anecdotally, upon scrolling through a subreddit dedicated to hikikomori, many posts spoke about feelings of helplessness and falling behind peers. Unfortunately, most do not actively seek out help.

Because of that—and because more than half of all hikikomori cases are paired with a sense of social inadequacy—parents should try to intentionally communicate and connect with their child on a deeper level. After all, since the majority of hikikomori cases are connected to feelings of familial isolation or relational failure, rebuilding that bond can be the first step to overcoming the issue. And even if the underlying issue isn’t due to perceived inadequacy, making the effort to connect may reveal to you what the underlying issue is.

In general, studies find that providing easy ways for hikikomori to slowly reintegrate into society step-by-step can assuage the issue. Remember that hikikomori struggle with feeling overwhelmed and helpless, so reminding them of all the schoolwork they’re missing won’t help the problem.

Instead, provide small tasks—like doing the dishes, taking out the trash or cooking breakfast—to boost hikikomori confidence levels. One study even found that playing Pokémon Go was effective in motivating some hikikomori to leave the home—a step that can eventually lead to overcoming their anxieties about the outside world.

Remember that hikikomori retreat into the darkness because they’ve largely felt like they can’t keep up with society’s expectations. Being that light in their life and coming softly beside them can be just the boost they need to get back on their feet again.

The post The Rise of Hikikomori appeared first on Plugged In.

Technically speaking, generative AI apps don’t literally “think.” They scour source material and spit it back out, based on a “prompt,” almost instantly. It reminds me of Trinity and Neo in The Matrix when they need to make a quick escape and fortuitously come across a helicopter.

“Can you fly that thing?” Neo asks Trinity.

“Not yet,” she replies. But then she dials up “mission control,” as it were, and asks him to download that information into her brain. “Tank, I need a pilot program for a B212 helicopter. … Hurry.”

Five seconds later, the information is uploaded into Trinity’s mind. “Let’s go.”

That was science fiction in 1999. And while AI won’t help you fly a helicopter in five seconds just yet, what was once pure fantasy now seems a lot closer to reality.

Is Thinking an “Endangered Species”?

I titled this blog “A Different Kind of Existential Fear About AI.” The main version of that fear, of course, is of the Terminator/Matrix variety, where the machines rise up, hit a point of singularity (creative, independent consciousness) and realize they don’t want us around anymore.

As Agent Smith told Morpheus in the Matrix, “Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You are the plague, and we are the cure.”

Now, frankly, if the computers rise up and take us out, well, OK. There’s probably not much I can do about that existential threat. So I’m not going to waste a second thinking about it.

But there’s another threat here worth considering: If AI can instantly and accurately synthesize the information or ideas or images we need, why would we keep doing it the slow, old-fashioned way?

Not surprisingly, this reality is being embraced by people who would rather have an AI app do their thinking for them—especially kids growing up with access to such technology from, basically, birth. An August 2024 survey by the Digital Education Council found that 86% of students reported using AI in their studies, with 24% saying they used it “daily.”

My 18-year-old son put it to me this way recently: “They used to tell us you need to learn how to do math because you won’t always have a calculator with you.” He just laughed. And he’s not wrong. We all have our “calculators” with us constantly—that being our phones. And today’s calculators can do a lot more than multiplication or solving complex equations.

So the existential threat I’m talking about here is thinking itself. Thinking is hard, sometimes. At least, thinking applied to solving a complex problem. And when you’re in high school or college, a research paper certainly feels like a complex problem. Why go through all that pain and effort if you don’t have to?

However, if we never have to think about anything that matters, where does that leave us as a culture, as a species? What gets lost along the way? What are the outcomes and unintended consequences of ceding more and more of our “thinking” to machines?

Look, I know I sound like an old man shaking his fist at the sky. And, yes, certain fears about technology have provoked Luddite pushback time and again throughout history. And I’m well aware that AI, like all revolutionary technology, may yield incredible acceleration on data-heavy projects, such as cancer research. It’s not all bad, and some of it may generate incredibly life-transforming outcomes.

But I worry, still, for my kids and for those growing up in a world in which the answers are so readily available at the click of a “prompt.” What happens when our capacity and ability to do complex intellectual synthesis atrophies? I think it’s a question worth pondering.

The post A Different Kind of Existential Fear About AI appeared first on Plugged In.

Studies regarding the negative effects of these screen-based social interactions have led many parents to worry about their teens. Teenagers themselves seem to be aware of the correlation between their use of social media and a decline in mental health. Social media companies are getting sued for their inaction regarding teens’ online safety (and are now taking measures to make their apps somewhat safer for adolescents). Some countries are even implementing bans on social media to protect vulnerable youths.

And yet, social media seems to be an inescapable entity (or entities).

In Lauren Greenfield’s FX docuseries, Social Studies (streaming on Hulu), a Los Angeles teen named Cooper has a reason for this: “How do you get off social media without people forgetting you exist?”

Greenfield follows Cooper, along with her classmates and peers, over the course of a single schoolyear. They are among the first generation to be born into a world where social media already was already ubiquitous. They’ve never known a world without Facebook—though notably, most don’t actually use Facebook, preferring TikTok, Snapchat or Instagram instead.

The series explores the direct impact this technology has had on today’s youth. Using screen recordings taken directly from the phones of teenagers, it showcases not only how these adolescents interact with each other but also how social media makes them see themselves, their relationships, their successes and their failures. The series shows how social media augments all these things, putting every aspect of their lives under a microscope to be judged by the masses—and especially, why none of them seem able to truly leave social media behind. It’s not just because of FOMO (fear of missing out), but because social media has become the only way their friends and families even know how to communicate anymore.

Those are important observations for families to grapple with. That said, if parents are considering watching this docuseries, there are some serious concerns to be aware of beforehand, all of which feel more extreme when you consider the fact that the subjects are real-world minors: foul language, including multiple uses of the f-word; illegal behavior, namely drug and alcohol use; LGBT worldviews (one teen’s sibling is trans, and the series documents that person’s struggles with coming out); and explicit sexual content and nudity (some of which involves minors and some of which is pornographic material the teens were exposed to on social media).

Greenfield wants to show parents what is actually happening with teens—what they’re being exposed to at such a young age and the content they’re putting out themselves as a result of online peer pressure. And while the series does this effectively, I wouldn’t say that it’s worth watching. Rather, I think it’s more important that parents know what the key takeaways are—to inform you of what might be happening in your own child’s screen-based world—so that you can start a conversation with your teen knowing better where they may be coming from.

So, here are five key takeaways from the series, as well as some questions to ask your teenager that might help foster some healthy conversations.

Key Takeaways of Social Studies—and How Parents Can Respond

1. Screens aren’t just a primary form of communication for teens, sometimes they’re the only form.

When teens want to communicate with their friends, they’re often limited by how those friends choose to interact with others. If your child’s primary friend group uses an app, such as Snapchat, to send group messages, then he or she may feel isolated if they’re the only one not included. Additionally, as we saw demonstrated in the series, social media can be used professionally, too. Schools use platforms such as Facebook and Instagram to send out important information and reminders to students. One teen in Social Studies used social media to inform his classmates about ongoing parties, which he then developed into a party promotion business. Other students used social media as a sort of digital portfolio to get clients for their photography and DJ ventures. And still others used it to promote podcasts, nonprofits and more.

Ask your teen: What app do your friends primarily use to communicate? What do you think are the pros and cons of using that app? How hard to you think it would be to switch to a non-social media-based communication with them? Does your school send out information via social media? Do you think a business, podcast or other venture can become successful without the help of social media?

2. Teens use social media not just for communication but for self-discovery.

Teens see social media as a way to figure out what they do and don’t like. It helps them determine what they want to watch, play, read, how to dress, how to act and more. And as much as we, as parents, might hate how algorithms make social media sites so addictive, teens see those curated feeds as a helpful tool since it usually shows them things they’ll enjoy without any extra effort involved. And since they grew up on these platforms, it’s second nature to sift through the comments on posts to find out what their peers and the world at large think about these topics, too.

Ask your teen: How many of your interests and hobbies have come from social media? If you couldn’t find a like-minded community on social media, would it take the joy out of an activity? Has social media influenced your faith based on what you’ve seen posted by other people? Has social media shaped what you believe about important topics of our day, such as racism, environmental causes, sexual identity, etc.?

3. Teens truly believe they can “be themselves” online.

Many of the teens interviewed considered social media to be a “safe space.” They discussed a feeling of validation when one of their posts would garner a lot of “likes” or “follows.” However, most also expressed feelings of anxiety and depression about posts that didn’t receive as much positive feedback. Girls, especially, felt the need to try out multiple poses, filters and editing styles before uploading a single photo. Even if none of the feedback was negative, some teens would delete posts that didn’t perform as well. And sadly, even when the students recognized how social media was negatively influencing their self-esteem, the lure of the “like” made it difficult for them to quit.

Ask your teen: Do you think your posts depict the real you or an idealized version of you and your life? Would you delete a post if it didn’t get enough positive engagement? Have you ever felt badly about yourself because of a negative comment on one of your posts? Do you believe social media is an accurate measurement of your worth? What does the Bible say about your worth?

4. It’s not if teens are exposed to sexual content on social media, it’s when.

Some of the students who participated in Social Studies were exposed to pornography (via social media) as young as 8 years old. One girl said she was first asked for “nudes” when she was in just the third grade, and others disclosed explicit messages they received from older men. Searching for or posting explicit content wasn’t a prerequisite either. Using the screen recordings, Greenfield was able to follow how a teen could search for innocuous content, such as how to bake a cake from scratch, and soon be exposed to shots of female bakers in revealing tops. Which then morphed into videos of women wearing increasingly less clothing as they, indeed, taught people how to bake cakes.

Ask your teen: Have you come across content that made you feel uncomfortable on social media? Do you feel comfortable reporting that sort of content or do you simply see it as “normal?” Do you understand why that content can be problematic, even if you don’t personally engage with it? Is there any aspect of this kind of content that is tempting or alluring to you?

5. This sexualization results in a pressure for teens to look and perform a certain way.

Nearly everyone interviewed in Social Studies said their exposure to sexual content or even to sexually charged comments on nonsexual posts gave them a false perception of what was “normal” in beauty standards and romantic relationships. Many felt pressured to look and act a certain way because of what they saw. Several admitted to engaging in sexual behavior and more extreme sexual activities. More said it impacted how they viewed themselves in negative ways. And some even divulged struggles with eating disorders and suicidal thoughts as a result of what they saw on social media.

Ask your teen: Have you or a friend changed the way you talk, dress or act because of social media? Do you think those changes were mostly positive? Will you stick with that change or will you continue to make micro adjustments as social media ebbs and flows? How will that affect your long-term mental health and sense of identity? What does Jesus say about your identity?

Social Media Will Continue to Exist

Parents, it’s unlikely that social media will just disappear, though it may potentially be banned or limited for younger users. But even if certain bans take effect, where there’s a will, there’s a way. And unfortunately, as history has shown us, when one fad fades out, another just takes its place. So even if social media went away, who’s to say what might take its place and whether that thing would be better or worse for our vulnerable kids.

I hope these insights help you consider what your children are up against a bit better. What we see on our own social media feeds isn’t a reflection of what our teens are seeing. And even if it were, the adolescent mind simply isn’t as mature and equipped to handle those things as the adult mind is.

There’s no single silver bullet to deal with all these issues. That said, teaching our kids about the pros and cons of social media can help them navigate it with greater wisdom and awareness. We certainly won’t have every answer as parents. But cultivating an ongoing conversation with our teens about social media creates a space where they can potentially open up to us when things do go sour. Because sometimes, it’s not about having all the right answers. Sometimes, it’s just about having your kid’s back as they figure out how to navigate new waters.

Ask your teen: Do you think the benefits of social media outweigh the costs both to yourself and to your friends and family? What do you like about social media/what does social media get right? What would you change if you could?

The post Key Takeaways from FX’s Docuseries ‘Social Studies’ appeared first on Plugged In.

In particular, I have an admiration for the historical paintings that became popular during the Renaissance. Those paintings often depicted the grand events recorded in the Bible. Some examples include “Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee” by Rembrandt or da Vinci’s “Last Supper.”

When I consider the craftsmanship of such pieces, it calls to mind Proverbs 22:29: “Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.” These paintings display a remarkable level of skill that often requires a lifetime of effort.

But what if I told you it didn’t have to be that way? What if there was a way to create art like the examples above—or, at least, something close to it—with little more than a brief text prompt and a few clicks?

Welcome to the world of artificial intelligence image generators. They’re powerful and easily accessible to anyone with an internet connection—kids included.

How Do AI Image Generators Work?

According to Harvard University, generative AI is “a type of artificial intelligence that can learn from and mimic large amounts of data to create content such as text, images, music, videos, code and more, based on inputs or prompts.”

Like other generative AI tools, image generators work from a library of data. In this case, they use a collection of images to mimic certain styles.

Generative AI & Art

I entered the following prompt into DALL-E 3, an image generator built into ChatGPT: “Create an image of men on a boat in the middle of a storm, Renaissance painting style.”

This image is what I received.

When you look at the image closely, some odd details start to emerge. Some of the characters in the image have melted-looking faces, like wax figures left out in the sun. Where are the boat’s sails? And the hands (a persistent AI image bugaboo) holding the oars just don’t look right.

And the errors really start to add up in this next image. It was created with a similar prompt as the first …

One oarsman (bottom-left corner) doesn’t seem to realize he’s no longer in the boat. Again, most hands in the image look wrong. And in the distance, we are treated to the majestically nonsensical sight of what appears to be a whale soaring above the stormy seas.

It’s easy to poke fun at images like these, where the AI gets confused or randomly includes a gravity-defying cetacean. But at the same time, it’s hard not to be impressed by the other aspects of the image. The style, lighting and composition are akin to most other Renaissance-style paintings. And consider this as well: It took less than a minute to make. You could create thousands of images like these in the span of time it would take even the fastest painter to create something comparable.

The Popularity of AI Image Generators

Thinking in those terms, and with the constant updates and improvements being made to AI image generators, you can begin to understand why scores of people (including kids) are drawn to these new tools.

In fact, as recently as December 2023, it’s estimated that an average of 34 million AI-generated images are created every day. And more than 15 billion AI-generated images have been created since 2022.

Considering this explosion in popularity, what do parents need to know?

Kids & AI Image Generators

As mentioned in a previous blog, Common Sense Media has reported that approximately 70% of teens have used generative AI tools—and most have done so without their parents’ knowledge.

AI image generators like DALL-E and Midjourney are extremely powerful tools. It’s important for parents to know if their children are using them. The more parents can be intentionally involved in their own child’s exploration of AI, the better, because AI image generators come with some potential benefits and concerns.

Pros

As we’ve discussed, AI generators can render images in literal seconds. One positive to that expediency is that it can allow for children to experiment with a variety of styles that they find interesting.

Is your child a fan of anime or manga? They can use an AI generator to create images in that style. Do they like to draw or paint? They can see tons of images that might inspire them to create their own art using those methods. Maybe they enjoy writing—well, guess what? Now their stories can be illustrated in just a few clicks!

In fact, the sometimes dreamlike quality of AI generated images (see above: flying whale) could stoke your child’s imagination and lead to all sorts of creative outcomes.

Cons

Along with those potential benefits, however, comes the possibility of some serious drawbacks. Research into how AI affects a kid’s creative process is still ongoing, but one concern is that generative tools might deemphasize the importance of experience in the creative equation.

Why is that important?

One of the reasons why AI image generators struggle to render hands is because AI doesn’t understand a hand’s function. It knows what a hand looks like—at least from the images it has to reference in its digital library. But it doesn’t understand how a hand works, how it moves, what is or isn’t possible for that hand to accomplish. It doesn’t have that experience. And this issue goes beyond hands: AI doesn’t understand how sports are played or how buildings are constructed, either. Ultimately, we want our kids to experience things that will feed their creativity. We shouldn’t rely on AI to give them an approximation of an experience.

Parents should also note that, like other AI tools, image generators can (and have been) misused to create explicit content, including exploitative images of children. Many of the popular AI image generators have safeguards in place to protect against this sort of thing. Unfortunately, these safety filters haven’t been robust enough, which opens up the possibility of children using the tool to be exposed to harmful images.

What Can Parents Do?

With all of this in mind, how should parents approach AI image generators, particularly if their kids are interested in using the software? Similar to our recommendation with AI music generators, we’d encourage you to approach your child and ask them if they’ve been using AI as a creative tool.

If they haven’t used an AI image generator, gauge their interest. If it’s something they’re intrigued by, offer to explore a few of the image generators together. Talk about the pros and cons and decide what’s right for your child.

If your child has already been using generative AI for images, express an interest in seeing what they’ve created. Come alongside them in their process and ask questions about how they’re using the tool. That way, you can help guide the process and set appropriate boundaries based on what you’ve seen.

At the end of the day, AI is a tool. And like any tool, it can used properly or improperly. As a parent, you have a crucial part to play in setting your child up for safety and success when it comes to artificial intelligence.

The post Should Your Child Use AI Image Generators? appeared first on Plugged In.

What? A new study by the University of Cambridge found that teens who are physically isolated for just a few hours experience a heightened “threat alert” or “threat vigilance,” increasing feelings of loneliness and anxiety even if they’re socializing with friends and family online.

So What? This goes against pro-social media advocates who claim that platforms such as Instagram and TikTok can help mitigate those feelings. And the authors of the study say, “It could contribute to the persistent and exaggerated fear responses typical of anxiety disorders on the rise among young people around the world.”

Now What? God did not create us to “go it alone.” In fact, we are commanded to love one another and to fellowship together. But teenagers—especially those who might feel misunderstood or friendless—often seek isolation. Try to discourage this behavior, reminding your teen that God doesn’t want them to feel lonely. Instead he tells us: “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matthew 18:20 ESV).

Influencers Claim Castor Oil Aids in Weight Loss

What? In the latest social media trend, influencers are putting castor oil on their stomachs before bed, touting it as a “natural” weight loss alternative.

So What? According to Mamamia, health experts have debunked this method, stating that, at best, castor oil will just hydrate your skin. They link the before-and-after results to the abdominal massages users perform as they apply the oil (which is proven to aid in relieving bloating and constipation), as well as the “castor oil packs” being sold. The packs are essentially a strap you wrap around your stomach, and it’s the pressure of that strap, not the castor oil, that helps reduce gas and create the illusion of “overnight weight loss.”

Now What? Trends such as “Oatzempic,” berberine (a supplement advertised as “nature’s Ozempic” that doctors warn against), chia seed drinks and celery juice cleanses all contribute to toxic diet culture. And experts warn that these sort of “quick fixes” can lead to a cycle of unrealistic body expectations or even dangerous eating and exercise behaviors. But their prevalence on social media and among influencers may mean that mom and dad need to help debunk these exaggerated claims.

What Parents Need to Know About Bluesky

What? Bluesky, a newish text-based social media app, gained 2.25 million new users this month as people sought an alternative to X (formerly Twitter).

So What? Bluesky gained popularity due to its reverse-chronological feed, as opposed to an algorithm-based one. It also prioritizes user safety over user engagement, with robust moderation features. But parents shouldn’t be lulled into a false sense of security.

Now What? As one journalist described it, Bluesky is “frequently horny.” The platform is reminiscent of “Old Twitter” with a “seemingly inevitable leftist tilt” and a subcommunity of NSFW posters. The aforementioned moderation tools may help to cull these posts from younger users’ feeds, but the platform still has plenty of holes in its security that could be exploited.

The post On the Radar: Teen ‘Threat Alert,’ the Castor Oil Trend and Bluesky appeared first on Plugged In.