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How to use your smartphone correctly

1. To sin or not to sin?

I still remember vividly when, at 16 in 1998, I was finally allowed to own my first mobile phone. It was incredibly practical and convenient to be able to make calls or send text messages from anywhere. Of course, I often felt like a public phone booth because many of my friends didn't have one yet. They naturally took advantage of having mobile phones, for example, to let their parents know where they were.

Today, almost every teenager has a smartphone in their pocket, and it's no longer just about making a call or sending a message. This device has taken on an extremely dominant position in our lives and presents us with the challenge of how we use it. We are confronted with three major areas:

1. Information about nature/science and education/religious life
2. Fun/pastime and filler topics
3. Violence/perversion and distorted worldview

2. Smartphone: The slave driver

Typical everyday life

I wake up in the morning. Instinctively, I reach for my smartphone. I might have received an important message. So, my first thoughts after opening my eyes are on the device. I quickly brush my teeth, send up a silent prayer, and rush off to school. Last night, I spent too much time on my smartphone again, unable to tear myself away from the many online services available and captivating me. At school and later at home, my entire life revolves around this device. It's not uncommon for me to take a break to let my mind wander a bit. After all, you have to treat yourself sometimes. Besides, a little browsing never hurt anyone. And it's precisely in this situation that it becomes particularly dangerous for young people.

Often, young people, in a state of carefree abandon, find themselves in perverse depths they never intended to enter. Many don't realize how their smartphones have secretly become their masters. Eventually, they become completely unaware of their enslavement to this device. According to one study, we pick up our smartphones every 4.3 minutes of our waking hours. That adds up to 81,500 times a year. This intensive smartphone use frequently leads to addiction. The result is a vicious cycle that cannot be broken without God's help. Young people caught in this cycle naturally have no time to cultivate a relationship with God. Even church services and various youth activities become unattractive and boring.

3. Spiritual burial

“ Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is” (Ephesians 5:15-17). Many people don't realize that by misusing their smartphones, they open the door to various worldly influences and temptations. Aside from the fact that this device consumes a lot of precious youthful time, its misuse usually leads to profound spiritual distress. One major problem is the internal conflict. Satan, the enemy of the soul, brutally attacks young people with perverse things, sometimes around the clock.

Even if we have a clear conscience and remain unstained by the world, we still face struggles. These struggles strengthen us. However, the temptations we encounter because we venture into Satan's territory are designed to bring us down. If we enter enemy territory out of mere curiosity, the manipulation of our minds begins. We are in danger of exchanging the spiritual mindset, which brings life, for the carnal mindset, which breeds death (cf. Rom 8:6). We must understand that every sin has a catastrophic effect on our lives.

Some consequences of improper smartphone use (distraction)

1. Separation from God
2. Depression, anxiety, difficulty concentrating
3. A distraction to avoid thinking about the soul
4. Interruption of communication with God
5. Diminishing the primacy of God

If we fail to learn how to manage these distractions, we forget how to live with Jesus!

From Youth Compass 03/2019