Today’s culture and society is living on a new digital frontier. As the pioneers of old, we’re entering into new and confusing territory filled with a mix of wonderful opportunities and dangerous hazards. The cultural context of children and teens is changing at breakneck speed, and these changes leave kids facing a host of unprecedented problems, challenges and choices. To address this need, the Elizabethtown, Penn.-based Center for Parent/Youth Understanding, an international youth culture ministry, has started a new Digital Kids Initiative to respond to these needs.

CPYU provides information, analysis and resources to parents, youth workers, pastors and anyone else who longs to love and lead children and teens in today’s rapidly changing cultural context. CPYU’s Digital Kids Initiative, which is under the direction of CPYU President and Founder Dr. Walt Mueller, was launched in part from a grant from the associates of DAS based in Palmyra, Pennsylvania.

The most recent research indicates the need for CPYU’s new initiative. The average 8 to 18-year-old in America is engaging with media for 7 hours and 38 minutes a day. Much of their media engagement includes time spent interacting with others via social media technologies that didn’t exist 10 years ago, such as Facebook. Today’s children and teens are a wired generation. They are constantly connected to their media, and their media is constantly connected to them. Because they are at an impressionable and vulnerable age, children and teens are eager and willing to follow a media world that is attractive, pervasive, convincing and compelling. Media is increasing in influence. In some cases, media is the main socializing and nurturing influence in a child’s life, shaping his or her worldview in powerful ways.

CPYU President Walt Mueller says, “young people are engaging media without having developed healthy practices, boundaries or filters. In addition, they don’t know how to interpret media messages in light of the truth of God’s Word, thereby giving them the ability to discern truth from lies in media’s messages. Adults, who are largely ignorant to new media technologies and the roles they play in their children’s lives, are unknowingly abdicating the parenting role and the spiritual nurture of their children to the world of today’s media. When parents do want to respond, they are at a loss regarding God-honoring response strategies. We’ve launched our Digital Kids Initiative to respond to these needs.”

CPYU has developed a new website, which offers research, news, handouts, fact sheets and other resources. In addition, Walt Mueller will be presenting seminars for parents, youth workers and educators to help them understand the emerging world of media technologies and messages, how media is influencing and shaping their kids and biblically faithful response strategies. Other materials include online webinars and tutorials for parents and youth workers.

To book a CPYU seminar, contact CPYU offices at 800.807.CPYU or visit the Digital Kids Initiative website.