How You Can Keep Your Kids Safe Online: "When You're Fearful of Technology, You Can't Lead"

Leah Marieann Klett : Mar 14, 2017
Gospel Herald

And check out the "life-changing" app that gives parents the ability to filter content, set a bedtime for devices and even completely pause the Internet.

(Orlando, FL)—[Gospel Herald] Thanks to the internet, kids today have access to all kinds of information—and not all of it is beneficial. In fact, according to statistics, 70% of teens use smartphones, 80% of parents aren't sure how to monitor their child's online activities, and 46% of teens said they would change their online behavior if they knew their parents were paying more attention. (Photo: Stock/via Gospel Herald)

To help parents maneuver technology and keep their kids safe online, Matt McKee, a pastor, husband and father, penned the book "Parent Chat: The Technology Talk for Every Family."

"I want to help parents help their kids have a healthy relationship with technology," McKee told The Gospel Herald during a sit-down interview in Orlando, Florida. "That parental control, that relationship, will actually beat any technology that's ever created. Parents have to be able to have a conversation with their child and be able to understand the way that their child is looking at whatever piece of technology it is. That's where parents must start. They have to be able to ask open-ended questions and let their children know that they care for them and trust them."

McKee's passion for helping parents wisely navigate the world of technology stems from personal experience. Several years ago, he was dismayed to learn his 9-year-old son had accessed adult sites while at a friend's house.

He recalled: "My son came to me and said, 'Dad, did you know that Superman and Wonder Woman take off their clothes sometimes?' I knew then that he had been exposed to pornography. It broke my heart as a dad, but also told me that we had an issue in connectivity."

The father-of-two explained that most parents approach technology from a place of fear, feeling that their children are far more tech-savvy than they will ever be.

"When you're fearful, you can't lead," McKee said. "You can't lead a company, you can't lead your family. We need to give parents hope..."

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