Occasionally these days, you might catch someone saying, “Have you heard what’s happening in China…” and then describe something the Chinese government is doing to keep a closer eye on or control its people. Of course, we strongly disagree with the Chinese government’s persecution of Christianity and how they severely limit the freedom of their citizens. Still, it’s worth paying attention to
some of the things they’re doing with technology and children. Maybe we could learn something from
them?
An article published by the Royal Geographical Society reports that the “…screen addiction is becoming a huge issue worldwide, with children particularly affected. For a parent today, one of the biggest problems to be faced is how to control and limit a child’s screen time.” Parents struggle with how to limit their children’s screen time since these devices are so interwoven into daily life. The article describes how the Chinese government is alert and aware of the problems associated with children and too much
screen time. They have mandated limits for children under eighteen which include:
● Limiting video game playing to three hours per week (only on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays between the hours of 8pm and 9pm).
● Children are to be blocked from accessing the internet between 10pm and 6am.
● Children under eight would get forty minutes of internet usage per day; children ages eight to sixteen would get one hour per day; and children ages sixteen to eighteen would get two hours of internet access per day.
Other Asian countries, including Japan and South Korea, have limited their children’s internet access as well. A law in Taiwan could fine parents up to $1,500 if their children are found to be physically or mentally ill due to overuse of electronic devices.
While increased governmental control and regulation of families is certainly not something we want or recommend, the fact that foreign governments see overuse of electronic devices to be a threat to their children is significant. If completely secular and, in some cases, anti-christian governments are concerned about children and technology use, then what about us as members of Reformed congregations?
What can we learn from the rules these governments have put in place? Are we taking the time to engage our children in discussions about technology use and then setting and enforcing appropriate limits? Dear parents, at the baptism of our children we promised that we would instruct and bring up our children in “the doctrine which is contained in the Old and New Testament, and in the articles of the
Christian faith” to the utmost of our power. This promise also requires that we set an example for our children in limiting our own internet use, seeking to “walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15, 16).