Your Students Don’t Have A Social Media Problem

You’ve read the studies and the articles. You’ve heard the podcasts and watched the videos. And more importantly, you’ve witnessed it first-hand. You have seen social media have a negative effect on many of your students. Whether it is their behavior or attitude towards it, the content they encounter, or how other people engage with them, you’ve watched as social media takes a toll on the teenagers in your ministry.

But I want to remind us of a truth we know, a truth that will not only help us view social media in a new light, but may enable us to change our students’ attitudes and behavior when it comes to their social media habits.

Here’s the truth: Your students don’t have a social media problem; social media is merely a symptom of deeper problems.

It’s easy to vilify Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and so on. But there are plenty of people using these mediums to further the Gospel and glorify God. So social media isn't always the big bad wolf we make it out to be. And yet, we all have students for whom social media is harmful to their spiritual and mental wellbeing.

What support do I offer for my statement that social media isn’t a problem but a symptom of a larger problem? Glad you asked . . .

There are three main problems our students have that social media exacerbates.

First, our teenagers have an identity problem

Part of what makes the teenage years so tricky is the insecurity inherent with identity formation. So many teenagers struggle with who they are. For students who struggle with their identity, which is most of them, social media can pour gas on this fire. We’ve all seen students seek validation through likes, comments, and number of followers. We watch students seek fulfillment through the shaping of false narratives with them at the center. It’s excruciating to watch because of how hollow it is. Teenagers will never find the identity they seek if they are looking for it in the responses to their Instagram stories.

Here’s the awesome thing. In Christ, we find our longing for identity.

Colossians 3:3 says,

“For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

Galatians 2:20 says,

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Our identities are completely and utterly found in Christ Jesus. Our challenge is to help students embrace this truth and internalize it. When they grasp that their identity is found in Christ, they will be much less hungry to search for it elsewhere.

Second, our teenagers have a value problem

At its best social media is a fun distraction, and a way of connecting with friends and the greater world as a whole. At its worst, social media reinforces our culture's misplaced values. Materialism. Misplaced attitudes toward sexuality. Twisted ideas of self-worth. Students encounter these values and more and can easily fall into the trap of pursuing them. But if students could only grasp the amazing value God places on them, it has the potential to free them from the traps they fall into.

How much does God value them? First off, He created them. He certainly didn’t have to. But He did. Second, He sent His Son, Jesus, to die in their place, ransoming and redeeming them. Third, He desires to be in relationship with them is so strong that He sent His Spirit to live within them. Our students have immense value. If we can help them truly own this truth, maybe they will cease to look for their value through the medium of social media.

Finally, our students have a boundary issue.

I get to speak at parenting and discipleship workshops fairly regularly. And I engage with parents on these topics often. One thing I consistently see is that even well-meaning Christian parents can be pretty crummy when it comes to helping students establish developmentally appropriate boundaries when it comes to social media. One of the truths of parenting is that children need guardrails. They need the consistency of rules, even if they don’t realize it. Establishing clear boundaries when it comes to social media is essential in developing healthy habits. It’s hard to fault teenagers for unhealthy social media behavior when they aren’t being helped by consistent boundaries implemented with their best interest in mind.

So what is your role as a youth pastor?

1. Education.You can send this article to your students’ parents.
2. Empowerment. You can make sure you’re addressing the theological issues raised in this post.
3. Encouragement. You can be a voice of reason and positivity in the lives of your students.)

What's Next? 

Asking Questions About Social Networks, Youth Ministry, & Relationships