Internet Safety
Do you have safety controls implemented on your electronics? If you’re a single person or an empty nester, you may not see the point—there aren’t any kids around. Besides, all you do on your computer is check e-mail and Facebook. Or maybe you do have kids, but you have parental controls established and firm rules about their computer use, so you’re covered. Well, what about smartphones? And have you forgotten that gaming consoles (Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation3, etc.) can access the Internet? Internet safety is for everyone in any situation.
What are the dangers?
The most obvious problem is adult content, particularly pornography. “50% of all Christian men and 20% of all Christian women say they are addicted to pornography.”1 This is the minimum, as it is likely there are more who won’t admit their addiction. Also alarming is the statistic from the same source that says 90% of all boys and 60% of all girls are exposed to pornography before the age of 18. With such an early start and the ease of retrieval that the Internet provides, no wonder so many people struggle with this very serious problem.
Another danger of the Internet is on sites which allow you to illegally download media. These are torrenting sites, which offer digital downloads of books, movies, music, software, and other materials for free or at very little cost. If you ask someone, “Is stealing wrong?” most will answer, “Of course.” But if they’re offered a link to a movie they want to see or to software they want that’s out of their budget, they don’t see the harm in downloading it. Who’s it hurting? Besides, isn’t it like borrowing a book from the library, since that’s free, too? It’s not stealing if I pay 10 cents for that song; I paid for it!
Wrong—if the deal looks too good to be true, it is. Those sites have illegally taken the content and are giving it away for free or at pure profit (to the thieves). Even if nothing directly happens to you as a result of such a download, it’s still breaking the law. Worse, there could be serious consequences: You could be sued (even if it was your child who did it, not you), something else could be downloaded with it (malware, spyware, viruses, etc.), or you could lose your Internet service. Your Internet provider knows what you—or your kids—are doing online, and if they note that someone at your IP address (your house’s network) is downloading illegal content, they’ll threaten to cancel your service and will act promptly if you don’t comply.
Though there are other unsavory parts of the Internet, the final “big baddies” we’ll discuss are online predators. Suppose your child meets another child in a chat room or forum and becomes friends. They choose to meet in person, only to discover that the other “child” is an adult with criminal intentions. Children aren’t the only ones susceptible to dangerous online “friends.” If you have a Facebook account, even if you don’t discuss private matters, a person using a fake account, posing as someone you think you know could potentially gather enough information from posts about your everyday life to answer security questions to other private online accounts (the name of your dog, your mother’s maiden name, etc.). Or a “friend” could see you’ll be on vacation for two weeks, offering plenty of time to sift through your house.
What does the Bible say about all this?
You might think the Bible doesn’t address Internet safety. But a surprising number of passages discuss the wisdom of protecting yourself or keeping yourself accountable. Here are just a few: Proverbs 11:14, 22:3, and 28:13-14; Romans 6:1-23; and 1 Peter 2:15-16. Also, Romans 13:1-10 specifically says we need to obey the law and reminds us that God forbids stealing. It’s so easy to convince ourselves it’s okay to download something when clearly it’s not.
So, how do we stay safe?
No matter your age, or gender, or how you use the Internet, you are at risk of temptation or breached security. To remain healthy and safe, everyone should have all of their devices protected. In the next issue we will offer a list of tools to help you do just that.
In the meantime, know that the Bible doesn’t just finger wag—it gives you tools, too. Job 28:28 tells us that having a healthy fear of the Lord helps us resist evil. Psalm 119:9-16, 30, and 33-40 talk about how important it is to memorize scripture to protect ourselves against impurity.
So, spend some time in the Word, memorize scripture, and keep an eye open for the next issue of Japan Harvest.
1. http://www.covenanteyes.com/pornstats/ Accessed July 29, 2014.
“Shield” graphic designed by Guido Haak from the thenounproject.com