Social Media: Sinful or Not?

The Church is beginning to ask more questions about how social media relates to a life of holiness. It's time to quicken the pace of conversation.

September 28: Please pray for Asheville, NC & the damage caused by Hurricane Helene. We lived there from 2014-2021. The pictures on the news are of our old stomping ground. I’ve gotten a few text from friends (despite spotty cell service & no power). They say our old neighborhood is a “complete disaster”. Please pray for my old neighbors. Spiritually, Asheville is a dark place that needs the light & truth of Jesus desperately.

Photo by Emily Harrison. Asheville, NC. One of my family’s favorite places to ride bikes was close to the French Broad River. I believe most of this is now under floodwaters.

A few weeks back, Chris McKenna of Protect Young Eyes posted an article entitled “Is it Sinful to Give your Child Social Media?” He lays out a pretty compelling case that it is, but doesn’t go so far as to definitively answer the question.

Chris and I were recently introduced through a mutual advocate in the screen time & kids world. (Yes, there’s a whole subculture of people who are advocating, speaking and writing about less screen time for kids.)

We disagree about some of the specifics when it comes to addressing screen time in your home. I tend to be more of a “choose not to participate in the danger type” while Chris speaks more on the “how to navigate the danger”. What we do agree on is that the online world is full of danger for kids, teens, and even adults. “More than 300 million children a year are victims of online sexual exploitation and abuse, research indicates,” according to a global study released in May Calling it a “hidden pandemic.” This level of abuse is hard to fathom.

Chris and I had a lovely chat about our various approaches and experiences. We discovered far more common ground than differences. We both desire to think Biblically about these things, experienced a prompting from the Lord around the same time frame to be more bold and intentional in speaking out on this topic, a passion for calling on the Church to confront issues surrounding kids & screen time, and a real hope for the church’s role in the future.

Chris likes to say, “delay is the way” when it comes to digital media. I propose that we delay so much that kids having smartphones & ipads is viewed as a social ill, much like the smoking section in a restaurant. I know of adults who are turning in their iPhones for more paired down phones, like the Wisephone or Light Phone. Nine times out of ten when I say I don’t have social media, the response is “Good for you!” I’ve yet to hear an adult wax poetic about their smartphone.

But Chris’s article went to a place that most of us, even in the Christian-screentime-kids world, have been too scared to venture: SIN.

I wholeheartedly believe, with Chris, that the church should be asking this question.

I wholeheartedly believe it is unwise to give your children smartphones or iPads.

How can we know if it’s sinful to have social media when the Bible never addresses the topic directly? Many Christians seem to have taken an approach akin to, “The Bible doesn’t speak to this, so I guess that means it’s fair game.” It sounds like the adult version of everyone’s favorite youth group question, “how far is too far?” The questions we ask matter. Instead of assuming social media is okay because it isn’t directly prohibited on a stone tablet, can we dig a little deeper?

Earlier this month, I used a Reader’s Edition of the Bible¹ to read through the Pentateuch² in couple of weeks. Remember, I don’t have social media so I have more available hours in a week than most people. Anyway, over and over and over and over again I was struck by how many times the Israelites were told to be holy. There are all these rules about how to act, what to eat, and touch but the main point was verses such as Leviticus 20:26, “You shall be holy to me, for I the LORD am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.”

This is not a call only for the ancient Israelites fleeing Egypt. The New Testament also commands the same. 1 Peter 1:13-16 “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”

Holiness is being set apart, being sacred, being pure or morally blameless. In other words, it’s being without sin. Of course, we are all sinners, having fallen short of the glory of God, but the call on our lives is to be holy.

O. Alan Noble

writes, “Christians adapt to the Spirit of this World far, far more than they realize.” Yeah, we sure do. Just like the Israelites in the Old Testament, we often look more like the cultures around us than who God called us to be.

So, is having social media sinful? For me, absolutely. In my mid 20’s, I got my first social media account (MySpace), followed a few years later by Facebook and then Instagram. At age 34, I took thirty days off of Facebook. I found I was happier and that my conversations with friends were more interesting so I returned to Facebook only to delete my account. At age 38, I quit Instagram. This one was harder. I had tried limits, taking the app off my phone, changing my password, etc. But, ultimately I had to walk away. Nothing about social media was causing me to better love God with my heart, soul, mind or strength, much less love others. Social media was making me more like the world, not more like Christ.

In fact, as a parent I noticed that when my kids wanted my attention and I was on my phone, I was more apt to snap at them. I was quick to become angry, not quick to listen.

2 Thessalonians 3:11-13 says,

For we hear that there are some among you who are idle. They are not busy but busybodies. Now we command and exhort such people by the Lord Jesus Chris to work quietly and provide for themselves. But as for you, brothers and sisters, do not grow weary in doing good.”

(I’d encourage you to pull out your Bibles and read the following verses.)

Using social media sure does sound like being a busybody. I wasn’t accomplishing work or good deeds when I was scrolling. Even when I tried to “Jesus-gram” my Instagram and only follow Christians, it still took more of my time than I care to admit. Checking one thing turned into 20 minutes (or more) of idle scrolling, judgmental thoughts, anxiousness about what was happening in the world around me, a diversion from doing good work and more. Social media never made me holy.

Photo by Emily Harrison, near Asheville, NC.

Dear Christian Parent, getting rid of social media was one of the best things I ever did. I have more friends now. I have closer relationships with my friends. I don’t really experience much anxiousness. I accomplish more in my day. I have more time to read my Bible. In difficult or quiet moments, I don’t fill my time scrolling but remember to pray instead (the cure for anxiety). I still have a long way to go on my journey toward holiness (ask my sons and husband!). But to answer Chris’s question: Is it sinful to give your kids social media? Yeah, I can’t see how it isn’t, because it sure was sinful for me.

1. A Reader’s edition of the Bible is one without non-canonical subtitles, verse notations and footnotes. The pages aren’t laid out in the typical double-column format so it reads more like a traditional book. I’ve found that I’m reading larger chunks of the Bible in one sitting and gaining a much fuller picture of the Biblical narrative than ever before. You can purchase a copy here for less than $20. I highly recommend it!

2. The first five books of The Holy Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.