Catholic Church asks parents to accompany their children on the Internet

The Catholic Church called on parents to be present and attentive to the content that the youngest consume and produce on the Internet, as a way to ensure that “the digital does not empty the heart.”

In the most recent publishing house of his weekly from the faith, the primacy archdiocese of Mexico warned that “it is not enough to ‘monitor screens'”, because he acknowledged that “violent scenarios has been generated, which were born of what is observed or the content that is created in social networks.”

One of the most recent and shocking cases occurred on September 22 at a school south of Mexico City, where a 19 -year -old student murdered another 16 and also wounded a worker who tried to contain him. The aggressor jumped from a building, which caused fractures in both legs, and was transferred to a hospital, where he remains in custody, As reported The Attorney General of the CDMX.

After the attack, conversations were leaked that show how the young man shared his plans in forums, receiving not only the approval of other members, but also messages of encouragement to carry them out.

In this context, the Archdiocese urged society to keep close with “young people and accompany them to develop more human communication” and asked parents “presence, discernment and education of the heart.”

The archdiocese warned that the network can be a space of “loneliness, manipulation and violence”, and supported its signaling With UN datawhich indicate that more than a third of young people in 30 countries have suffered cyberbullying and one in five stopped going to school for that cause.

Also He cited figures of the centers for the control and prevention of diseases in the United States, which show that adolescents with more than four hours a day in front of the screen have almost double symptoms of anxiety and depression than those who use less time.

“See together what they see”

To accompany children in the digital world, the Archdiocese recommended “inhabit their worlds: see together what they see.”

He suggested asking questions like “What do you like about this content creator? What do you think of this challenge?” In the same way, he proposed to “put clear and family reviewed rules” on times of use, screens free, and rest schedules.

He also invited “to form consciousness” about the risks of the Internet, which implies “talking about privacy, empathy, verification of information and, of course, taking care of abuses. In addition, taking care of language, starting to avoid being part of polarization.”

“The family is the first place where we learn to communicate and to discern, and that learning asks for real encounter, listening and shared silences. Therefore, technology has to serve that link, not replace it,” he said.

With these orientations, the Catholic Church reiterated its call to parents: “So that the digital does not empty the heart. Frepreneurship, the most free children: that is the way.”