As a freshman at Purdue University in fall 1995, I experienced the internet for the first time. The university had just installed Netscape browsers in the computer labs, and Windows 95 with Internet Explorer soon followed. Research became easier, professors communicated more efficiently with students, and we maintained friendships with high school friends attending other universities. Within a few weeks, a friend emailed my shiny new email address all the way from Australia. The message was time-stamped from the future. Wow! The power of this new tool seemed limitless.

At the same time, students were viewing pornography in the computer labs, plagiarism ran rampant, we were all wasting too much time online, and theological squabbles broke out on the newly minted “Covie-Net,” an email list for Reformed Presbyterians. These proved that the internet generation would need to be trained. We have been seeking to train the internet generation ever since.

Solomon was ignorant about the internet, but his words in Proverbs 22:6 apply to us today as we consider this new technology: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Solomon knew that life would change for the children of his day, and so he sought to train his son in the “way,” trusting that he would not depart from the way of the Lord in different situations in his later years. If, by God’s grace, our children learn to seek Him and His righteousness in their use of technology, then we should expect Jesus not only to sustain our children, but also to bless them richly with greater capacities than their parents have known. That is exciting!

Sociologists consider those now reaching adulthood to be the first generation of “digital natives,” meaning that they do not remember life without the internet. How do we train the next generation of digital natives who will not remember life before smartphones?

Dr. David Murray, professor of Old Testament and practical theology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, is also president of HeadHeartHand Media. His video God’s Technology teaches parents how to train their children to navigate digital life. The video runs less than one hour and is perfectly suited for use in a Bible school class or at home. This high-quality production is one of the best starter tools available for parents who need guidance, and it will give food for thought to parents who already have a training plan in place.

Dr. Murray begins by reminding us of four biblical truths to guide our thinking:

1. Technology is created by God.

2. Technology is not inherently sinful.

3. Technology has many good uses.

4. Technology has often been perverted.

As we begin with these solid presuppositions, we can effectively lead our thinking children to use technology to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Dr. Murray then reviews various responses to technology—from enthusiastic embrace, to strict separation from all technology, to a balanced approach he calls “disciplined discernment.” To cultivate young minds capable of practicing disciplined discernment, Dr. Murray outlines seven helpful steps parents can take to train up their children:

Educate. First, we must educate ourselves as parents (Dr. Murray shows us how). Fence. Fences, including anti-virus software, firewalls, time boundaries, site limits, personal information limits, and download guidelines are essential helps that must be used in training digital natives.

Mentor. As you are able, personally teach your children the way they should go. Supervise. We cannot teach and then walk away. We must plan to stay deliberately engaged with our children’s use of technology for the long haul. Review. Each family must develop means of reviewing the child’s activity in the digital world. Dr. Murray reviews various software programs that can help toward this end. Trust. Parents must learn to expand a child’s responsibility for his own actions as he grows, matures, and proves trustworthy over time.

Model. Parents must model godly use of technology if we expect them to listen to our words.

Finally, since social media powerfully shapes young minds today, Dr. Murray includes a special section devoted to helping parents in helping their youth navigate this powerful tool.

There is much that God’s Technology does not cover, such as how to train your child to participate in the blogosphere and other online discussions. Certain specific social media like Twitter and Pinterest are not discussed. Specific instruction on harnessing technology for powerful good in the kingdom of God is also limited. But this resource will equip parents and churches to train their youth, for the good of our digital natives and the glory of God.

—James Faris, pastor of Second (Indianapolis, Ind.) RPC