How can we help young people growing up in the online world?

Captain Luke Cozens encourages us to engage with the government’s consultation on growing up in the online world.

I have gotten into the habit of praying the Lord’s Prayer (almost) every day. The line ‘your Kingdom come, your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven’ (Matthew 6:10) is particularly meaningful to me. Our hope as Christians, as Salvationists, is for this world with all its joy, sorrow and complexity to become like Heaven, where Jesus reigns as King.

It’s a challenging prayer to pray because it means we have to do more than just serve people with their current needs – we have to ask why those needs are there in the first place. The Salvation Army is amazing at meeting needs – food banks, homework clubs, debt advice and more all serve people where they are – but sometimes it’s harder to take that next step. Why can’t people afford food? Why can’t children do their homework at home? Why are so many of our friends and neighbours in debt? As soon as we ask these questions, we end up in the messy world of systems, people and complex decisions that make up politics. But these systems need to change if Earth is going to be as it is in Heaven. Each food parcel makes a difference to someone’s life but, as long as the system stays the same, someone else will turn up needing one tomorrow.

That’s why we so desperately need Christians to be part of politics. That doesn’t mean you have to become an MP – although if you think you can, do it! – but there are hundreds of ways to become more involved in the politics of your country or local area. We need Christians who vote, are school governors, go to local planning meetings, sign petitions, write to their elected representatives, call in to talk shows or run for the parish council. Not to promote their own self-interest, but to promote the values of the Kingdom of God. If we want society to reflect God’s Kingdom, we need to be in the places where decisions are made.

The UK government is currently trying to work out what it can do to help young people as they grow up in an online world – and they want to hear from you. So much of our lives at the moment is influenced by technology, including phones and social media, but it’s having a particular impact on the youngest of us. The government is exploring whether it should put an age limit on accessing social media, restrict addictive design features and risky functionalities, raise the digital age of consent, make the guidance on the use of mobile phones in schools statutory, and do more to support parents in helping their children navigate the online world.

The government has launched surveys for young people aged between 10 and 21, parents and carers of young people, and for anyone else in the country. Here is an opportunity, in just a few clicks, to join the conversation about something that has a massive impact on our young people and our society – to have your say and help speak out the values of God’s Kingdom.

The consultation will close on 26 May, with a response set to be published by the government this summer. If all of us engage, perhaps this can be a space where we help Earth become just a little bit more like Heaven.

Reflect and respond

• Read Matthew 6:9–13. How does praying for God’s Kingdom to come shape the way you think about politics?
• How do mobile phones and social media impact you, or the young people in your life and community?
• What are the benefits and challenges posed by growing up in an online world?
• Respond to the consultation.