What should parents be aware of before letting their children access social media?

Dr. Carlton McLeod explains in this video that social media can be extremely dangerous and harmful, particularly for younger children. It can be so easy for one of our children to see something that they can never unsee.

Parents must make an informed decision of what they allow their children to access. While social media is not evil in and of itself, we shouldn't necessarily be careless and just hastily let our children access it with no limits. Each parent will have to ultimately decide what to do for their own family.

Colossians 2:8 (NKJV) - "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ."

That social media, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, things like that and some of the other things that are out there right now, They're extremely dangerous, particularly for younger children. They're dangerous for us older children too, but particularly for younger children they're dangerous. So I just would recommend extreme caution. I'm not at a place where I personally can say it's all evil, but there's so much evil embedded in it that I've not allowed my children to be a part of it. I've limited my own self.

I don't use a lot of it just because of just quickly you can see an image that you shouldn't see or read something that you shouldn't read It doesn't help you walk in the Lord and walk in holiness So I guess my perspective is somewhat in the middle of the road I think it requires a lot of caution and I think parents need to make really informed decisions about what they allow and when they allow it. We've seen social media be the outlet for adultery and pulpits. We've watched, you know, Facebook has taken out a lot of marriages through that medium and others. So no, it's not all evil. Certainly I'm glad for the Christians who wage a good warfare within social media.

But particularly as it relates to the family, parents need to really make strong and careful judgments about what they allow them to their households. I have parents in my church who do not allow it until, you know, 18 for example, or 17, others a little younger, but and then some not at all. So I think we need to pray through what our children can handle, and what we can handle, and if we cannot handle it, the Bible says a man is a slave to whatever is mastered him. So if we can't handle it, then we need to shut it down. You