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In the Claremont Institute’s journal American Mind, English teacher and author Auguste Meyrat concludes that the future looks bleak for today’s children and teens who are inundated with technology. He has witnessed firsthand the detrimental effects of screen exposure in the classroom, and found administrative and parental will to reign in screen time severely lacking. While computers and smartphones are not all bad – for they have vastly improved our efficiency and connected the world in new ways – we cannot ignore that this has come at the expense of social cohesion and our health, both mental and physical, especially for our kids. Those who are currently parents or plan to someday become parents should consider reducing or eliminating screen time usage, though at present it may seem downright impossible.

The New York Times says sex ed should start earlier than you think. Elizabeth Bruenig at writes in The Atlantic that modern porn education is totally unprepared for modern porn. As children start to wonder where babies come from and why, many parents may be at a loss for words when it comes to the sometimes very specific questions children have. Should they change the subject? Should they wait until an opportune moment to have the talk? If today’s headlines indicate anything, it is that parents are fighting an uphill battle when it comes to teaching their kids about sex before the surrounding culture – or other kids – do.

Have you ever scrolled through your recommended videos on YouTube and been alarmed at some of the content you found? If so, you’re not alone. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal detailed the results of a new study by Mozilla, in which participants flagged more than 70% of the videos recommended by YouTube for objectionable content, including misinformation and sexualization. Though YouTube’s algorithm has undergone repeated revisions in the past few years, their efforts appear to be floundering as users are faced with potentially misleading or harmful content. In 2020, YouTube came under fire simultaneously for too much and too little, with some complaining about speech censorship and others criticizing the spread of fake news. Throughout its brief history, YouTube has been criticized for leaving children vulnerable to inappropriate or predatory content. YouTube has a problem with sexual content, but is it because the algorithm works well, or doesn’t work well enough? In a world that often defends the production, sale, and distribution of pornographic content, on what grounds can YouTube ultimately stand strong in defending its viewers from unwanted sexual content?

Without the union of man and woman, society would cease to exist. Yes, a dystopian society like that of Aldous Huxley’s World State could use artificial wombs for reproduction, but a healthy democracy (one we’re apt to prefer) depends upon the mutual love and compromise of man and woman in lifelong marriage, and their willingness to set high personal standards for the good of their children.