‘Overclocking’ is a term used when the processor on a computer is set to run faster than it is designed to run.  This can cause the computer to overheat and the motherboard to burn out.  Researchers found that children playing video games for hours have a similar experience. 

George T. Lynn, co-author of Breaking the Trance (Central Recovery Press) says; ‘It results in a chronic firing of low-level stress.  That means anything exciting, either good or bad, causes stress.  When children play for hours, their brains release low levels of adrenaline.  These low levels of adrenaline cause a cascade of effects in the brain that result in the release of corticoid-releasing factor and other neurochemicals that, over time, erode the structures in the brain, specifically, the memory structure (the hippocampus) and cause other effects.  On one hand, the child is feeling good, his brain is awash in dopamine and, on the other hand, what he doesn’t know, the price his nervous system is paying for this is the build-up of these corrosive neurochemicals all around his brain.  That results in specific behaviour effects, changes in mood and cognitive ability, and changes in the ability to remember things.  If this becomes a chronic condition, these effects start changing the child’s personality…children become isolationists and drop out of life.’

This information caught my attention because I’d been chatting with a friend who’d been serving in Kid’s Ministry for over 40 years.  She said, ‘I’m so sick and tired of Kid’s Churches where the kids are sitting in a room and staring at a screen.’  She demonstrated the use of a remote control and pulled a face mimicking an open-mouthed blank stare.

Using screens in Kid’s Church has become more popular as technology has advanced and as culture has become more dependent on them.  I understand the appeal.  I remember hours spent in writing songs onto A2-sized cardboard so children could sing along in Children’s Church.  Then came the era of the Overhead Projector (OHP) which made life so much easier.  We even learned how to tell a story using the projector slides and if you were fancy you’d use coloured pens!  So when the new generation of projectors became available, it opened a world of opportunities for Kid’s Ministry leaders.  I was quickly on board in using YouTube videos for praise and worship because I didn’t have a Kid’s Church band, words and actions were provided, and I’m not musical in any way.    

But have we gone too far?  Today, you can buy a curriculum made for children from birth to high school, all for use on a screen.  It’s beautifully produced, engaging and humorous.  It’s an experience.  But it’s on a screen.  

I recently watched an interview with ScreenStrong founder, Melanie Hempe.  Her oldest son was caught in video game addiction and it nearly destroyed his life.  She’s created educational programs for kids and parents so no one needs to experience the pain of screen addiction.  She says to be ScreenStrong is to make a counterculture choice to move your child’s entertainment and social life from the online world back to the real in-person world.

ScreenStrong’s Core Values:

Build Healthy Families: Family connections and values are stronger when parents’ influence and leadership are greater than peers and screen culture. 

Eliminate Toxic Screens: Technology can be a useful tool, but toxic screen use is harmful (video games, social media, pornography), is not mandatory for any age child, and cannot be balanced. Moderation is a myth because a moderate amount of toxic screens is still harmful to children.

Develop Life Skills: Learning life skills is more important than screen skills. 

Prioritize Authentic Relationships: True communication and connections are developed in person—not on a screen. 

Dare to Be Different: Saying no to the use of addictive and toxic screens through adolescence is the best prevention for screen dependency.

I encourage you to visit the ScreenStrong website: https://screenstrong.org/

Toxic Screens in Kid’s Church?

Hopefully, nothing is being screened in your Kid’s Church that will cause harm to your kids. (Although alarm bells are sounding about some curriculums with their progressive philosophy.)  I’m thinking about relying on screens to teach Biblical truths to the children instead of the children being taught by real people!   I know volunteers are under pressure and time-poor.  It takes effort to prepare but they must not underestimate how important they are to kids and the special role they play in their lives.

Advantages of Face-to-Face Teaching

• Children have fewer distractions because they’re concentrating harder
• They gain a greater understanding from teachers and other kids in the real world
• They can access more information through questions
• They can gain more information through the teacher’s voice and body language.  This is especially helpful for children who use English as their second language
• They’re connecting with the Church and the Church community

The Church is a family.  Relationships with other believers are important.  We provide support for one another and grow deeper in faith and closeness to God as we share life. 

‘So them you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.’  Ephesians 2:19

‘So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.’  Galatians 6:10

Are you in danger of ‘overclocking’ your Kid’s Ministry with your kids fixated on a screen for your entire program?