too much freedom

with today's social media and most teens constantly connected my questions is this, how much freedom do/should parents allow their sons/daughters to have? is asking for passwords and knowing who your children are texting, talking with on facebook, and reddit mean you don't trust them?
Do you think having a computer/tablet/cell phone in a child's room is a good idea or to much temptation to sin?

just wondering how some of the parents on here feel about this? i recently refused to be a part of a christian homeschool group for teens ages eleven to eighteen because some of the parents wanted to allow the kids to have private emails communication with out any parental covering.

RDG,

Thank you for bringing up this subject. Read this a few moments ago...

"According to a 2013 study of 19,000 parents, kids start watching porn online from as early as age 6 and begin flirting on the Internet from the age of 8. Kids are also lying about their ages when creating social network accounts on sites like Facebook."

You wrote: " is asking for passwords and knowing who your children are texting, talking with on facebook, and reddit mean you don't trust them?"

No matter how trustworthy the child is they are not prepared to meet and overcome the onslaught of subtle satanic influences we are facing and will face in these days. I know there are programs that filter our some bad content for children. Praise our God!

But my personal conviction is that allowing young people to text and use social media etc, or especially having a computer/ tablet/ cell phone in a child's room is like leaving them defenseless in the jungle alone while a roaring lion walks about seeking whom he may devour.

O Lord Jesus, open our eyes while there is still time.

[edited for clarity]

I have a friend who is a "geek"!! And he tells everyone to not allow their children to partake of social media. It's too seducing and they cannot differentiate good from evil.

I agree with him. Teens tend to think of "everyone" as their friend, so strangers are not strangers to them. So, I would not let a child have anything that gives them access to the internet alone in their room.

I can understand unbelievers having TVs in their bedrooms. I can even understand them getting said bedroom TVs for their children. Tablets, ipads etc are only a logical next step.

What I cannot fathom is why/how followers of Jesus Christ can put themselves in the same situation and not expect to reap the bitter fruit of children not following the Lord.

Also, why do children need to be on social media? Ditto for smart phones.

Mystified.....

I am a high school teacher who has raised two teens myself. I think a parent who allows their teens to have totally private social media access, email access, or internet browsing access is out of their mind. It is irresponsible, and shows a complete lack of love for their children and a total disregard for their God-given responsibility toward their children. If parents want to keep a cell-phone for their teens to take with then when they are out of the house that is restricted to family phone numbers and 911, thats great. To have an open smart phone is a totally unnecessary and is dangerous for most teens. I told my own sons that they could buy their own cell phone when they were old enough to be on their own. Until that time, they did not need one. I am not against high school students having online accounts, but they need to understand that their parents have full access to these accounts and will be monitoring them. They need to be taught to be Godly in a technological world.

Amen, brother, amen!

I am a computer programmer and use the Internet every day (with a great deal of caution and visibility). My children do not have open access to the Internet in any form, by any means, until they reach adult age *and* are mature in Christ. Otherwise, it is essentially certain they will be corrupted, polluted, and defiled by the subtle, demon-filled trash strewn all over the Internet. Do you want to love your children? Do you know how? Consider which areas of life are important to be very firm in. Can you afford not to be? Totally private anything before adulthood is a potential recipe for disaster, and not part of God's plan. I should add that you cannot simply say no, no, no, to everything. Parents need to provide their children some direction in an active, interesting, and fulfilling life that is leading them to Christ. If you do this really well, they will never miss the Internet (or want it).