In the heart of every person is a deep-rooted question: “Who am I, and how do I fit into the world around me?” In other words, what makes me “me”? Am I the roles that I play (friend, sibling, athlete)? Am I a set of characteristics (quiet, bubbly, confident)? Am I my thoughts, emotions, body, soul, actions … a summation of these things? The question of identity shows up in which brands teens choose to wear, how they manage their appearance with friends, in their desire to get good grades or try out for sports or musicals, and in what they think about themselves and others while scrolling through social media. It can be challenging to navigate our teens’ search for identity with healthy language, perspective, and grace. The Christian story for the world has a stunning message about who we are; our challenge is contextualizing that story in the modern world, the world of popular culture.

People are complicated, and romantic relationships are one of the most complex and fascinating kinds of relationships that God has given us. They’re challenging even for people working from a solid foundation. So when raising our teens, it can be daunting to consider whether or not we should allow them to date, and if we do, how can we guide them through the process well? Is it possible? Can we help our kids avoid the cesspool of “hookup” culture? Is there a “right” or biblical way to date? And above all, can we use dating as an opportunity to disciple our kids into a Christ-like perspective of others? We’ll answer these questions and more in the following pages.

There is no profile when it comes to bullying. Roy Moore, Founder and Executive Director of Be Strong, a nonprofit dedicated to ending bullying, says, “Bullying does not respect boundaries.” A petite teenage girl could actually be the one bullying a huge football player—maybe not physically, but psychologically and emotionally. Bullying is a complex issue. As such, it does not have a simple solution.

Teens test drive various emotions every day, and sometimes they have no idea how to explain or express them. We’ve all heard (or even said) something such as, “I’m so depressed! They canceled my favorite show!” or “I’m so anxious about my math test!” The language of mental illness runs rampant in our casual conversations. It’s not all that surprising, though. These days it’s as if everyone on earth has a microphone, and with the racket of everyone’s opinions, hyperbole seems a useful method for being heard. The louder the noise, the less others want to listen, so the more we use exaggerations to describe how we feel and to connect with others. (IMPORTANT NOTE: Like other Parent Guides in this series, this tool provides knowledge, references, and faith-based encouragement on the subject to help parents connect with their kids. However, since we are NOT physicians, healthcare providers, or even experts on these difficult matters, this resource is NOT a substitute for medical advice or treatment. It can accompany and support actions directed and/or confirmed by a qualified healthcare professional, but it is not meant to replace or preclude any diagnosis or treatment by a qualified healthcare professional.)

Besides increases in things like anxiety and depression, today’s teens also face increasing risks of developing eating disorders as a way to cope with their reality. Because there are myriad websites and organizations dedicated to educating the public about eating disorders and to helping sufferers find lasting recovery, this guide will hopefully serve to educate you on how technology and culture contribute to the problem. In addition, we hope to provide a balanced Christian perspective on how to find true healing from a disease that affects both young and old, male and female, Christian and non-Christian alike.

Fear is real – in fact, God created it – but worry is never beneficial. By looking a little closer at the problems of fear and worry, we can learn where they come from, what they are at their root, how to overcome them through the power of God, and how to help our kids do the same.

The phone used to be a device whose main purpose was communication. Now, smartphones help us do just about anything: shop, socialize, read a book, do our devotions, take care of finances, date, and maintain our health, to name a few. They are shaping the world in unexpected ways. It’s easy to react out of fear of the challenges that smartphones present. It’s also easy simply to mimic the habits of those around us. Neither of those responses is healthy. Instead, we need to recognize the legitimate benefits and dangers of the smartphone and assess those within a biblical framework while teaching our “digital natives” to do the same.

There’s no question that there’s a lot of filth on the Internet. And it’s pretty easy to run into it, even accidentally. Internet filters are extremely useful tools for preventing you and your children from encountering content that is harmful and disturbing.

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Snapchat took the world by storm, capturing teens’ attention like Facebook did in its infancy. And while its popularity remains high, adults everywhere are still scratching their heads as to why. Now with more features that increase its popularity and continue to be mimicked by other platforms, it’s important that we parents understand how it works, why it’s so popular, and how to have constructive conversations about it with our teens.

TikTok (formerly Musical.ly) has rapidly gained popularity among teens and tweens since its launch in 2016. As “a destination for short-form mobile videos,” users upload videos of themselves lip-syncing, telling jokes, dancing, etc. For parents of teens and tweens who use the app (or keep asking to), it’s helpful to know what it is, its pitfalls and dangers, and how to talk to them about it in order to help them pursue abundant life in every area of their lives.

IThis guide will hopefully help put parents back in the driver’s seat because children still need guidance, wisdom, and yes, sometimes even boundaries to keep them healthy and safe on social media as they learn and grow. Though trying to write the Parent Guide to Social Media is, as one Axis employee put it, like trying to write the Parent Guide to the Entire Internet(#impossible), we hope to offer a big-picture perspective, conversation starters, and ways to train them to make wise decisions. It’s easy to try to be our kids’ conscience for them, especially if we’ve already seen them make poor decisions, but it’s better in the long run to do the hard work of training their conscience properly so they can flourish and thrive the entire time they inhabit our social-media-saturated world.

Our kids are no longer kids anymore. As high school comes to a close, marking the end of a long era of their lives, they simultaneously lament what once was and excitedly anticipate college for the promise it holds. But while they’re saying goodbye to old friends and stressing over how to decorate their dorm rooms, we parents are being much more realistic, fretting about the illegal use of alcohol, atheist professors, coed dorms, and the allure of total freedom. Ultimately, as our children leave home and our loving boundaries for the first time, we’re concerned about a much more important question: How do I help my kids keep their faith in college?