Absorbing Content

If there is one thing that I have observed about children, it is this: children are sponges.

That might sound a bit strange and maybe you chuckled to yourself, but hear me out. Children absorb everything they see and hear. I’ll let that first thought soak in (haha) as I continue.

When I was growing up, my family owned a Nintendo 64. That console was the best in my opinion; if time had not taken its toll, I would pull it out and play Diddy Kong Racing, Mario Party, Donkey Kong Country 64 or Super Mario 64 to my heart’s content.

I’ve always had a love for video games. Perhaps not quite as obsessively as my Disney addiction, but video games were also pretty high up on the list of things I loved when I was younger. I still like to play games on our Wii or maybe our X-box 360, but it’s not the same as Nintendo.

But now that I’m older and I look at some of the games that young kids play, I have to wonder how a zombie slaughter game is preferred over Mario?

As I grew up my family was more sensitive to movie and video content. We’ve loosened up a bit in the past few years, but we still consider content and ratings before we watch a movie or purchase a game. So during my childhood the only violence in video games that I experienced was Donkey Kong swinging a hammer at Princess Peach.

Because of how my parents chose to restrict certain movie or gaming options for me through my younger and teenage years, I have since become watchful of content in entertainment choices. Because my parents taught me to be sensitive towards specific kinds of content, I always have a wary eye and ear open for swearing, violence, explicit content, or mainly anything that my family would find inappropriate for us to watch together—especially the younger children.

Nowadays children play games portraying hectic violence, mass killings with a full display of blood and gore, swearing and even sexual content on some occasions.

Families need to be careful with what they allow their children to watch and play. I don’t think that because a ten-year-old boy who plays Halo on a regular basis is going to take the nearest gun he can find and hurt people just because that is what he does in the game. But I do think that over time children soon become immune to certain content that is harmful. Shooting people, blood and flying body parts are no big deal. It’s just a game.

But does that make it acceptable content?

For example, many of my friends through high school, and even to this day, say they don’t register swearing in movies. Language doesn’t affect them in any way because they have learned to tune it out over the years. I then wonder to myself, “Why is that?”

Most people, myself included, have watched movies with high language content. To most people, it is true that it doesn’t affect them in the least bit; to me, I cringe with every swear word. Why? Because my parents ingrained in me, using biblical principles, that swearing is an unnecessary, unethical, ungodly thing; they taught me to be sensitive towards content.

Now I realize I could very well be stepping on some toes here. I’m not saying so-and-so’s parents did a horrible job because they raised their kids differently than mine did. But I’d like to ask you to consider your childhood and life now. What did you watch as a kid? What video games did you play? When you watch a movie today with inappropriate, high-rated content, what is your reaction? Or better yet, what should your reaction be?

At Bob Jones University we are encouraged to look through everything, including our entertainment choices, through a Biblical Worldview. We use the Bible as our base for making decisions in life; the Word’s premises to decide what in this world is godly and what isn’t.

So I’d like to leave you with a few notes: First, consider with your spouse what is appropriate for your children to watch and play. The content that you allow them to absorb will affect their opinions and beliefs one day. Be tactful, be careful, and be biblical. Second, I’d encourage you to purchase some kind of filter for films (e.g. ClearPlay). With this type of filter, you have control over the settings and ratings, and while the movie plays, anything unacceptable will automatically be edited out. You won’t even know that something was skipped.

Finally, teach your children the importance of why your family doesn’t watch certain films or play certain games. Teach them from a biblical standpoint and show them verses to explain what God thinks about content choices. Ultimately we are responsible for what we allow our children to absorb.

Children are sponges. What are you allowing them to absorb?