Talking to our Kids About Media & Technology

Helping guide our kids through the digital landscape and equipping them with a decision-making framework.

Would you let your child sit in a room filled with strangers who could say anything they wanted to them?

When we allow our kids access to unrestricted and unfiltered content, we are allowing the influence of strangers to impact how our children see and experience the world.

The Eyes, Heart, Mouth framework for families is designed to bring children into the conversation about the media they consume. Based on the biblical foundation of guarding our hearts and having ‘healthy’ eyes.

Luke 11:34
“Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy,your body also is full of darkness.”

and

Proverbs 4:23,
“Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.”

The basic framework is this: what I look at shapes what I think, and what I think shapes what I say and do.

When we invite children into the conversation and help them understand why certain content isn’t good for us, they can better understand the boundaries and decision-making you’ve made as a family.

Here’s the framework:

What we see with our eyes makes its way into our hearts.

What gets into our hearts changes how we think and feel.

What we think and feel in our heart comes out of our mouth.

Questions to ask:

“Is this something we want to get into our hearts?”


“Is this something we want to come out of our mouth? "


If the answer is no, it might be best to try something else.

  • "Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light, but when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness."

    —Luke 11:34

  • "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things."

    —Philippians 4:8

  • "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."

    —Proverbs 4:23

  • "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

    —Galatians 6:9

Free colouring sheets

To help the conversation land and to give little hands something to do while big ideas settle in we've made a free set of Eyes, Heart, Mouth colouring pages you can print at home.

Each page walks through one part of the journey: what our eyes see, what settles into our heart, and what comes out of our mouth. Colour them together, talk through them as you go.

Helpful Resources

Common Sense Media is a leading independent nonprofit organization that provides age-based ratings and reviews for movies, TV shows, books, video games, and apps. It helps parents and educators evaluate the suitability and educational value of digital content for children.

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/

Below are resources that will help you identify media that may be harmful before your child watches it.

Plugged In is a media review and culture resource from Focus on the Family. It provides detailed content evaluations of movies, TV shows, video games, and music to help parents make informed, biblically-guided entertainment choices for their children.

https://www.pluggedin.com/

Protect Young Eyes (PYE) is an advocacy organization dedicated to creating safer digital spaces for children, teens, and families.They help parents, schools, and churches navigate online risks—such as inappropriate content, digital addiction, and predatory behavior—through a blend of technical settings and proactive parenting.

https://www.protectyoungeyes.com/