Kids today are growing up in a completely different world. Yes, there are consequences for what they say and do online. But more than anything, they need grace, forgiveness, and the chance to move beyond a mistake they make online.
Think about the anxiety our teenage girls feel, knowing that someone still has that inappropriate photo that was passed around the school, even years later. Or the kid who made a stupid joke on social media, only to have it screenshotted, and now worries he'll never get a job.
Just because our students have adult tools doesn't mean they are adults. Smartphones and social media are adult tools in the hands, hearts, and minds of children. If schools and parents are going to give children access to technology, they also need to give them grace. They likely would have made similar mistakes if they had this technology at that age.
Thankfully, Ben was able to move beyond his own teenage social media mistake. Since then, he has spoken to over 500,000 students, parents and educators about online safety, run across America to call attention to raise awareness about the dangers kids face online, and worked with more than 150 families to report predators and other internet crimes to law enforcement.
We are so grateful that he shared his story with our Regent community, and encouraged all of us to extend grace in the digital age, and using that grace to guide our students through any mistake they make online.
