I typically don’t write about technology on this website, but I keep getting asked about some links / resources / stats I share below. I decided to put it all in one place so others could learn, benefit from my research, and share if they want to.

FULL DISCLAIMER: I love technology! I have my own website for crying out loud. I have a phone, iPad, laptop, desktop … our business has it’s own mobile app, ecomm store, podcast, and website – much of which I’ve built from the ground up. I scan our mail / bills with our iPad into different cloud folders for me to look at later. I read half my books on a Kindle and listen to a few as I run via Audible. I love having my boarding passes on my phone with screenshots (and hardcopy print outs) as a backup. So if anybody can waste time on technology, I can waste time on technology if I’m not careful.

I’ve had to guard myself and put protections in place to foster a family culture that doesn’t rely on entertainment or mindless scrolling / consumption. If you don’t have a plan or an intention to be different, you’ll just scroll and waste time. Or worse. My adult brain can hardly handle the dopamine drop and addiction of the YouTube & Instagram algorithms – and that’s just for the GOOD content. Bad content is always around the corner unless you are intentional about blocking it. Developing brains (kids) don’t stand a chance left up to their own devices. At the time of this writing, we have an 8, 10, and 12 year old. I’ve spent a lot of time researching what is best for myself, my family, and wanted to share what I’ve seen as helpful. Enjoy.

ONE LAST THOUGHT: Remember, digital accountability isn’t just for sexual content … it’s for productivity, time wasting, mindless scrolling, giving our best (and most) time to our best priorities. Everybody in my family (wife, kids, myself) has digital accountability and we have benefited greatly from some of the resources below.

WIFI ROUTER

DIGITAL ACCOUNTABILITY SOFTWARE

Accountable 2 You: https://accountable2you.com/

  • Monitors & reports digital content to your accountability partners. Rather than trying to let filters do ALL the work, this invites people (your team!) to the process and builds trust, transparency, and responsibility.
  • Works across all platforms, all browsers, and all apps (even ones that have their own browsers)
  • Gives time-breakdown of apps, not just flagged content.

Full features: https://accountable2you.com/features/

PHONE INFORMATION

ADULTS wanting a much simpler / smaller phone?

KIDS …

READING & PODCASTS

Reading

Podcasts

EXTRA / STATS / ETC.

Stats (see the left side of the page for more categories)

Our very own (Eau Claire, WI!!) Fierce Freedom resources …

EVEN MORE STATS … reasons we need to be on our guard

  • 58% of children under 14 consume common themes in (mainstream) porn … 80%+ depicts some form of violence against women – teen rape, choking, incest, violence, etc.
  • Porn sites get more visitors each month than Netflix, Amazon, & Twitter … combined.
  • 1 in 5 girls (aged 13-17) agreed that they have shared their own nudes.  1 in 10 boys (aged 13-17) reported that they have shared their own nudes.  40% Agreed that “it’s normal for people my age to share nudes with each other.
  • *New data reveals that self-generated imagery now accounts for nearly a third of web pages featuring sexual images of children actioned by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF).  More than three quarters of the self-generated material – be it images or videos –feature 11 to 13-year-old children, of which the majority are girls.
  • the journal JAMA Psychiatry suggests that teenagers who spend more than three hours a day on social media are more likely to develop mental health problems including depression, anxiety, aggression, and antisocial behavior. (this was pre-COVID 2019)
  • 21% of Christian men and 2% of Christian women say they think they might be “addicted” to pornography or aren’t sure if they are.
  • 28% of Christian men and 11% of Christian women say they were first exposed to pornography before the age of 12
  • 34% of 13- to 14-year-olds said it is normal for kids to share self-generated nude photos of themselves with others.
  • The number of young Americans watching online videos every day has more than doubled. The survey of American youth included the responses of 1,677 young people, ages 8 to 18. Among other things, it found that 56% of 8- to 12-year-olds and 69% of 13- to 18-year-olds watch online videos every day. In 2015, the last time the survey was conducted, those figures were 24% and 34%, respectively.
  • 720,000 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube every day.
  • YouTube generated $28.8 billion via advertising in 2021
  • Instagram $26.5 billion via advertising in 2021 = $270/user