web02.fireside.fm Sat, 02 May 2026 01:30:38 -0500 Fireside (https://fireside.fm) Hybrid Ministry - Episodes Tagged with “Managing Screen Addiction” https://www.hybridministry.xyz/tags/managing%20screen%20addiction Thu, 30 Jan 2025 05:00:00 -0600 Hybrid Ministry is complicated and hard. Or is it? How do pastors and youth pastors create a vibrant extension, not replacement, of what's already happening during their weekly church services? To cater in a digital ministry way to an online focused ministry audience. Reaching Millennials, Gen Z and even Gen Alpha is going to require us to rethink some of the ways we do church. Follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@clasonnick en-us episodic Digital Discipleship made easy Nick Clason Hybrid Ministry is complicated and hard. Or is it? How do pastors and youth pastors create a vibrant extension, not replacement, of what's already happening during their weekly church services? To cater in a digital ministry way to an online focused ministry audience. Reaching Millennials, Gen Z and even Gen Alpha is going to require us to rethink some of the ways we do church. Follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@clasonnick no Digital, Online Church, Hybrid Ministry, Church, Meta, Gen Z, Millennials, Digital Marketing, Church Marketing, Youth Ministry, Student Ministry, Nick Clason, Digital Ministry, Church Social Media, Youth Ministry Social Media, YouTube for Church, YouTube for Youth Ministry, TikTok for Churches, TikTok for Youth Ministry, Instagram for Churches, Instagram for Youth Ministry, Facebook for Church, Facebook for Youth Ministry, Cell Phone Usage at Church Nick Clason nickclason@hybridministry.xyz Episode 134: Tech Talks: Equipping Parents to Guide Their Digital Natives https://www.hybridministry.xyz/134 8ffb47b8-9dd9-4aca-88c2-548706a1e731 Thu, 30 Jan 2025 05:00:00 -0600 Nick Clason 134 Tech Talks: Equipping Parents to Guide Their Digital Natives full Nick Clason 🎙️ Tech Talks: Equipping Parents to Guide Their Digital Natives is your ultimate resource for navigating the wild world of screens and social media! Designed to spark meaningful conversations, this episode drops 5 practical questions to help parents and teens tackle digital habits together. Bonus: there's a downloadable worksheet, perfect for your next workshop or family night. 🚀 10:17 no 🎧 Become a “Hybrid Hero” https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry ⚙️Tech Talks: For Parents and Teens https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry/shop/parent-tech-talks-817359?utmmedium=clipboardcopy&utmsource=copyLink&utmcampaign=productsharecreator&utmcontent=join_link DESCRIPTION 🎙️ Tech Talks: Equipping Parents to Guide Their Digital Natives is your ultimate resource for navigating the wild world of screens and social media! Designed to spark meaningful conversations, this episode drops 5 practical questions to help parents and teens tackle digital habits together. Bonus: there's a downloadable worksheet, perfect for your next workshop or family night. 🚀 📓 SHOWNOTES http://www.hybridministry.xyz/134 //DETOX WORKSHEET https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry/shop/digital-detox-family-worksheet-763860?source=storefront //AUDIT WORKSHEET https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry/shop/social-feed-audit-activity-for-parents-789323?utmmedium=clipboardcopy&utmsource=copyLink&utmcampaign=productsharecreator&utmcontent=join_link //3 MONITORING TOOLS VIDEO: https://youtu.be/DWYvsn2Kglk?si=wayQHd1zQC09I6qg TRY COVENANT EYES: https://covenanteyes.sjv.io/g1zVZA 👉 STAY CONNECTED WITH NICK YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@clasonnick Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hybridministry/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@clasonnick Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HybridMinistry Website: https://www.hybridministry.xyz -------------- 🎉 FREE STUFF 🎉 We have all kinds of FREE Things that you can use in your context! The best way to pay us back is a review or a YouTube Subscribe! https://www.linktr.ee/clasonnick -------------- 🛠️TOOLS I USE THAT CAN HELP YOU! Some of the below links are affiliate links in which we do recieve a small commission based on your purchase or use of products VIDIQ https://vidiq.com/hybrid BEST DYM RESOURCES https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/dym OPUS.PRO FOR AI SHORTS & REELS https://www.opus.pro/?via=a5d361 //YOUTUBE STARTER KIT FOR UNDER $100 https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/youtubestarterkit //SIDEKICK SETUP GUIDE https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/setup ⌚TIMECODES 00:00 Tech Talks: Equipping Parents to Talk to their Digital Natives 01:52 Parenting Teens Philosophy 04:10 Question #1 04:44 Question #2 05:34 Question #3 06:36 Question #4 07:16 Question #5 07:51 My Recommended Parenting Apps -------------- TRANSCRIPT 00:00:00:17 - 00:00:26:20 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry Let me guess. If you're a parent trying to talk to your teens about tech and screens and social, you feel like when you're doing so, you're speaking a completely foreign language. If that's you, go ahead and subscribe to this channel. And let me guess, if you're a teenager, having a parent try to relate to you in that tech space and it feels totally cringe. 00:00:26:22 - 00:00:46:18 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry Go ahead and give me a like on this video. And if you're a youth pastor, just simply trying to bring the two sides together, well then you're in the right spot. Go ahead and turn the bell on. Because here in this video on the Hybrid Ministry show, what we're going to do is we are going to share. I'm going to share with you my parent and tech philosophy. 00:00:46:25 - 00:01:10:21 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry I'm also going to share with you five great questions that you can use to start with a family, to open up good discussion around technology. If you're a parent, I'm going to share with you my top three monitoring resources. And finally, stick around to the very end of the video because I'm going to share with you a worksheet that has not only those five good questions shared in this video, but some bonus questions that you can hop over and that you can download. 00:01:10:21 - 00:01:28:11 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry My patrons get it for free. If you're a youth pastor, it's only $4 per month. You'll get all the worksheets that are included in this current playlist that's linked right here that we're in. We're now in part three of four of this parent tech and screens worksheet and playlist, where I'm sharing a worksheet in every single video. The patron. 00:01:28:18 - 00:01:50:09 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry The Patreon subscription is only $4 per month. And so that would cover all of these worksheets. And then some. Along with if you subscribe, you get a bonus podcast where I'm going to talk about what I'm doing weekly in my youth ministry, helping promote creativity, screen safety, hive and hybrid ministry. Welcome my friends to the show that's named after what I call it. 00:01:50:12 - 00:02:28:13 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry Welcome to the Hybrid Ministry show. All right, so here's my philosophy around technology and screens, okay. The philosophy is very simply this. You just have to start having conversations around it, especially if you are concerned about your teens usage or you might be concerned down the road about it. Start the conversation earlier than you might want. Because here's the thing if you've downloaded either of my last two worksheets or the Digital Detox worksheet or the Feed Audit worksheet, well, you've got to come to understand is that both of those are set to help open up and promote a conversation between parents and between teenagers. 00:02:28:18 - 00:03:03:11 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry But if you're concerned about it, the way we as parents often handle it is we have some big, explosive sort of like come to Jesus reckoning moment where we think we did the job. But but the change often best happens, and the transformation takes place most naturally through ongoing conversations where the conversations feel less threatening, which is one of the reasons, especially in the last worksheet, where I encourage you as a parent to offer immunity because you may, as you're auditing some your son or daughter's feed, you may find things that you don't want, but because you're saying, hey, listen, it's going to be okay. 00:03:03:11 - 00:03:30:26 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry We're going to work through this together. You're offering them the ability to actually open up and have that conversation, which is ultimately what you're hoping. You're hoping that the conversation will lead to heart and life change and transformation over time, as opposed to just like adjusting and changing the behavior. That's just simply behavior modification. That's white knuckling it as opposed to genuine true heart change. 00:03:30:26 - 00:03:58:03 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry That's the goal of all pastors of of should be of all churches is definitely the goal of Jesus. And so lead with grace and understanding versus annoyance and constant frustration. And when you start with that, it hopefully will start to crack open the door towards honest conversations. And so with that philosophy as the foundation, as the backdrop of all of this, let's walk in to these five questions. 00:03:58:03 - 00:04:19:06 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry And if you're here in a workshop, I want to encourage you after each question to just pause it and stop and let parents and teens have these conversations in rows, around tables or wherever, whatever your setting looks like. So the first question is this how does technology make our life better? I want you to I want to encourage you to think about things like perhaps like 360, right? 00:04:19:06 - 00:04:45:11 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry Like G.P.S. type tracking things, or even just GPS navigation in general. Being able to get from point A to point B, especially if you're in an unfamiliar place, maybe things like banking or keeping a shared calendar or grocery list, like, all right, think those types of things. In what ways do those things make technology better? If you're watching here in a workshop, go ahead, pause this video and I'll let you have a chance to discuss. 00:04:45:15 - 00:05:03:29 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry But for the rest of us here on YouTube, I want you to now think and ask through this second question, which goes like this. How well do you think I and if you're a parent, I want to encourage you to ask this question. Being willing to be vulnerable, being willing to to, you know, put yourself out there in such a way. 00:05:04:03 - 00:05:29:10 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry How well do you feel like I balance my screen time, right. And again, this is going to cause you and have to ask you to be a little bit vulnerable and maybe even during this section here, when you're having this discussion with your teen, I want to encourage you to maybe look up your current screen time reports. And if you're if you're not happy with or you're unsatisfied with what that says, I want to encourage you then to maybe set a goal for something new. 00:05:29:10 - 00:05:49:06 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry So if you're watching this live, if you're having a discussion, go ahead, pause the video now. But for the rest of us, we're going to move on here to question number three, which is this. What is your most visited website or app and why? Right. And here's why. The and why part of this question helps you get a peek into their soul a little bit. 00:05:49:06 - 00:06:19:17 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry All right. Helps reveal their hobbies or their desires. Right. Like for me, what I would say one of the most like, visited things for me is, like Instagram. And the reason I like Instagram is because I have a heavy basketball algorithm and I'm a huge basketball fan. And so getting on there, I'm hoping that it will share with me, illuminate with me, give me interesting content around basketball and and doing that the and why part of that question right reveals to you that I enjoy watching basketball. 00:06:19:20 - 00:06:36:10 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry And so the and why part of that question hopefully will help reveal on both sides student and parent what it is that they're into, what it is that they're actually looking for, what it is that their phone is feeding them, that they are finding so interesting. So go ahead, pause the video and take a minute to discuss that. 00:06:36:13 - 00:06:56:02 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry But for the rest of us, we're going to move on here to question number four, which is do you feel as a technology brings our family together or tears us apart? And again, I want to consider allowing this conversation to be a free flowing conversation. Let it have immunity, you know, don't get defensive regardless of what the answer is. 00:06:56:09 - 00:07:18:28 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry Don't get defensive here. The other person side, right? I often use the phrase perception is reality. And so in this case allow their perception to be the reality. Don't argue it, don't fight it. But just let them say and speak their peace. So go ahead, take a minute. Have this discussion for the rest of us. We're going to move on here to question number five, which is this. 00:07:19:01 - 00:07:53:25 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry Would you prefer more or less phone time personally? Would you prefer to have more or would you prefer to have less phone time again? Speak freely again. No judgment. Okay. But based on their answers, I want you to set a family goal to work on it together. Especially especially if you are saying you want to have less of it, then I want to encourage you to link down below my detox worksheet, which will give you five tips to work together better as a family to detox, you might have times that you're spending on screen, but once they're right now, link down. 00:07:53:25 - 00:08:16:13 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry Below are the three tools is linked to a video. The three tools that I recommend you exploring for better screen usage, and perhaps even more restrictions on phones if that is something that you're looking to go towards. And so in that video, I debate between or a plus circle, I debate between the Bach, family of products, Bach phones and Bach monitoring. 00:08:16:20 - 00:08:40:16 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry And then I also share with you my recommended resource called Covenant Eyes. And why I prefer to use Covenant Eyes is because it has constant screen monitoring. It is analyzing screenshots on a constant basis of every single thing that is being viewed on your screen. Right? Because the difference is, if it's just you URL based, you can sort of find workarounds to that look. 00:08:40:16 - 00:09:00:28 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry Look at your teenager right now. If you're still in this workshop, they know that they can find workarounds to that. But if they want and you want to have a more holistic and a more robust monitoring system, Covenant Eyes will do that. And best yet, if you have an Android, it will do it on every single thing that is seen and is visible on your screen at any given time. 00:09:01:00 - 00:09:22:15 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry Where an apple, it's only showing you what you're using inside the Covenant Eyes browser that simply just said their technology and their API type settings. And so if your son does have an iPhone as much as, the social capital will go down because you have to get them away from the blue bubbles. And Android is better for their long term purity and for your, perhaps, peace of mind. 00:09:22:15 - 00:09:55:11 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry And so again, I want to thank you for watching this video. Listen, if you're a youth pastor, I want to encourage you to hop down the link on the show notes and grab this. This parent tech talks in this parent and teen tech talks worksheet and pass it out at a maybe a parent and tech workshop. Even go back and use this video to use it as a springboard for conversations where in this in this worksheet, it's going to allow both sides to kind of share their perspectives on technology usage, as well as offer a slew of other bonus questions. 00:09:55:11 - 00:10:14:01 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry But linked right here in the fourth and final installment of this playlist is video. I'm titling from screen to scene, and we're going to talk about how to be more present in an always digital world. Thank you for sticking around for this entire video. And don't forget, my friends as always to stay hybrid. tech talk, parent and teens, digital natives, digital detox, finding balance, always-on world, social media detox, digital well-being, screen time management, technology balance, mental health and tech, unplugging from technology, managing screen addiction, healthy tech habits, digital hygiene tips, reducing screen time, digital mindfulness, tech-life balance, digital overload solutions, disconnect to reconnect, tech detox for families, balancing online and offline life, finding tech-life harmony, hybrid ministry, church social media, nick clason, Social Feed Audit, Clean up Algorithm, Christian TikTok 🎧 Become a “Hybrid Hero”
https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry

⚙️Tech Talks: For Parents and Teens
https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry/shop/parent-tech-talks-817359?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=productshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

DESCRIPTION
🎙️ Tech Talks: Equipping Parents to Guide Their Digital Natives is your ultimate resource for navigating the wild world of screens and social media! Designed to spark meaningful conversations, this episode drops 5 practical questions to help parents and teens tackle digital habits together. Bonus: there's a downloadable worksheet, perfect for your next workshop or family night. 🚀

📓 SHOWNOTES
http://www.hybridministry.xyz/134

//DETOX WORKSHEET
https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry/shop/digital-detox-family-worksheet-763860?source=storefront

//AUDIT WORKSHEET
https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry/shop/social-feed-audit-activity-for-parents-789323?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=productshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

//3 MONITORING TOOLS
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/DWYvsn2Kglk?si=wayQHd1zQC09I6qg
TRY COVENANT EYES: https://covenanteyes.sjv.io/g1zVZA

👉 STAY CONNECTED WITH NICK
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@clasonnick
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hybridministry/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@clasonnick
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HybridMinistry
Website: https://www.hybridministry.xyz

--------------
🎉 FREE STUFF 🎉
We have all kinds of FREE Things that you can use in your context!
The best way to pay us back is a review or a YouTube Subscribe!
https://www.linktr.ee/clasonnick

--------------
🛠️TOOLS I USE THAT CAN HELP YOU!
Some of the below links are affiliate links in which we do recieve a small commission based on your purchase or use of products
VIDIQ
https://vidiq.com/hybrid

BEST DYM RESOURCES
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/dym

OPUS.PRO FOR AI SHORTS & REELS
https://www.opus.pro/?via=a5d361

//YOUTUBE STARTER KIT FOR UNDER $100
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/youtubestarterkit

//SIDEKICK SETUP GUIDE
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/setup

⌚TIMECODES
00:00 Tech Talks: Equipping Parents to Talk to their Digital Natives
01:52 Parenting Teens Philosophy
04:10 Question #1
04:44 Question #2
05:34 Question #3
06:36 Question #4
07:16 Question #5
07:51 My Recommended Parenting Apps

--------------
TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00:17 - 00:00:26:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Let me guess. If you're a parent trying to talk to your teens about tech and screens and social, you feel like when you're doing so, you're speaking a completely foreign language. If that's you, go ahead and subscribe to this channel. And let me guess, if you're a teenager, having a parent try to relate to you in that tech space and it feels totally cringe.

00:00:26:22 - 00:00:46:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Go ahead and give me a like on this video. And if you're a youth pastor, just simply trying to bring the two sides together, well then you're in the right spot. Go ahead and turn the bell on. Because here in this video on the Hybrid Ministry show, what we're going to do is we are going to share. I'm going to share with you my parent and tech philosophy.

00:00:46:25 - 00:01:10:21
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I'm also going to share with you five great questions that you can use to start with a family, to open up good discussion around technology. If you're a parent, I'm going to share with you my top three monitoring resources. And finally, stick around to the very end of the video because I'm going to share with you a worksheet that has not only those five good questions shared in this video, but some bonus questions that you can hop over and that you can download.

00:01:10:21 - 00:01:28:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
My patrons get it for free. If you're a youth pastor, it's only $4 per month. You'll get all the worksheets that are included in this current playlist that's linked right here that we're in. We're now in part three of four of this parent tech and screens worksheet and playlist, where I'm sharing a worksheet in every single video. The patron.

00:01:28:18 - 00:01:50:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
The Patreon subscription is only $4 per month. And so that would cover all of these worksheets. And then some. Along with if you subscribe, you get a bonus podcast where I'm going to talk about what I'm doing weekly in my youth ministry, helping promote creativity, screen safety, hive and hybrid ministry. Welcome my friends to the show that's named after what I call it.

00:01:50:12 - 00:02:28:13
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Welcome to the Hybrid Ministry show. All right, so here's my philosophy around technology and screens, okay. The philosophy is very simply this. You just have to start having conversations around it, especially if you are concerned about your teens usage or you might be concerned down the road about it. Start the conversation earlier than you might want. Because here's the thing if you've downloaded either of my last two worksheets or the Digital Detox worksheet or the Feed Audit worksheet, well, you've got to come to understand is that both of those are set to help open up and promote a conversation between parents and between teenagers.

00:02:28:18 - 00:03:03:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But if you're concerned about it, the way we as parents often handle it is we have some big, explosive sort of like come to Jesus reckoning moment where we think we did the job. But but the change often best happens, and the transformation takes place most naturally through ongoing conversations where the conversations feel less threatening, which is one of the reasons, especially in the last worksheet, where I encourage you as a parent to offer immunity because you may, as you're auditing some your son or daughter's feed, you may find things that you don't want, but because you're saying, hey, listen, it's going to be okay.

00:03:03:11 - 00:03:30:26
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
We're going to work through this together. You're offering them the ability to actually open up and have that conversation, which is ultimately what you're hoping. You're hoping that the conversation will lead to heart and life change and transformation over time, as opposed to just like adjusting and changing the behavior. That's just simply behavior modification. That's white knuckling it as opposed to genuine true heart change.

00:03:30:26 - 00:03:58:03
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
That's the goal of all pastors of of should be of all churches is definitely the goal of Jesus. And so lead with grace and understanding versus annoyance and constant frustration. And when you start with that, it hopefully will start to crack open the door towards honest conversations. And so with that philosophy as the foundation, as the backdrop of all of this, let's walk in to these five questions.

00:03:58:03 - 00:04:19:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And if you're here in a workshop, I want to encourage you after each question to just pause it and stop and let parents and teens have these conversations in rows, around tables or wherever, whatever your setting looks like. So the first question is this how does technology make our life better? I want you to I want to encourage you to think about things like perhaps like 360, right?

00:04:19:06 - 00:04:45:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Like G.P.S. type tracking things, or even just GPS navigation in general. Being able to get from point A to point B, especially if you're in an unfamiliar place, maybe things like banking or keeping a shared calendar or grocery list, like, all right, think those types of things. In what ways do those things make technology better? If you're watching here in a workshop, go ahead, pause this video and I'll let you have a chance to discuss.

00:04:45:15 - 00:05:03:29
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But for the rest of us here on YouTube, I want you to now think and ask through this second question, which goes like this. How well do you think I and if you're a parent, I want to encourage you to ask this question. Being willing to be vulnerable, being willing to to, you know, put yourself out there in such a way.

00:05:04:03 - 00:05:29:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
How well do you feel like I balance my screen time, right. And again, this is going to cause you and have to ask you to be a little bit vulnerable and maybe even during this section here, when you're having this discussion with your teen, I want to encourage you to maybe look up your current screen time reports. And if you're if you're not happy with or you're unsatisfied with what that says, I want to encourage you then to maybe set a goal for something new.

00:05:29:10 - 00:05:49:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So if you're watching this live, if you're having a discussion, go ahead, pause the video now. But for the rest of us, we're going to move on here to question number three, which is this. What is your most visited website or app and why? Right. And here's why. The and why part of this question helps you get a peek into their soul a little bit.

00:05:49:06 - 00:06:19:17
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
All right. Helps reveal their hobbies or their desires. Right. Like for me, what I would say one of the most like, visited things for me is, like Instagram. And the reason I like Instagram is because I have a heavy basketball algorithm and I'm a huge basketball fan. And so getting on there, I'm hoping that it will share with me, illuminate with me, give me interesting content around basketball and and doing that the and why part of that question right reveals to you that I enjoy watching basketball.

00:06:19:20 - 00:06:36:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so the and why part of that question hopefully will help reveal on both sides student and parent what it is that they're into, what it is that they're actually looking for, what it is that their phone is feeding them, that they are finding so interesting. So go ahead, pause the video and take a minute to discuss that.

00:06:36:13 - 00:06:56:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But for the rest of us, we're going to move on here to question number four, which is do you feel as a technology brings our family together or tears us apart? And again, I want to consider allowing this conversation to be a free flowing conversation. Let it have immunity, you know, don't get defensive regardless of what the answer is.

00:06:56:09 - 00:07:18:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Don't get defensive here. The other person side, right? I often use the phrase perception is reality. And so in this case allow their perception to be the reality. Don't argue it, don't fight it. But just let them say and speak their peace. So go ahead, take a minute. Have this discussion for the rest of us. We're going to move on here to question number five, which is this.

00:07:19:01 - 00:07:53:25
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Would you prefer more or less phone time personally? Would you prefer to have more or would you prefer to have less phone time again? Speak freely again. No judgment. Okay. But based on their answers, I want you to set a family goal to work on it together. Especially especially if you are saying you want to have less of it, then I want to encourage you to link down below my detox worksheet, which will give you five tips to work together better as a family to detox, you might have times that you're spending on screen, but once they're right now, link down.

00:07:53:25 - 00:08:16:13
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Below are the three tools is linked to a video. The three tools that I recommend you exploring for better screen usage, and perhaps even more restrictions on phones if that is something that you're looking to go towards. And so in that video, I debate between or a plus circle, I debate between the Bach, family of products, Bach phones and Bach monitoring.

00:08:16:20 - 00:08:40:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And then I also share with you my recommended resource called Covenant Eyes. And why I prefer to use Covenant Eyes is because it has constant screen monitoring. It is analyzing screenshots on a constant basis of every single thing that is being viewed on your screen. Right? Because the difference is, if it's just you URL based, you can sort of find workarounds to that look.

00:08:40:16 - 00:09:00:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Look at your teenager right now. If you're still in this workshop, they know that they can find workarounds to that. But if they want and you want to have a more holistic and a more robust monitoring system, Covenant Eyes will do that. And best yet, if you have an Android, it will do it on every single thing that is seen and is visible on your screen at any given time.

00:09:01:00 - 00:09:22:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Where an apple, it's only showing you what you're using inside the Covenant Eyes browser that simply just said their technology and their API type settings. And so if your son does have an iPhone as much as, the social capital will go down because you have to get them away from the blue bubbles. And Android is better for their long term purity and for your, perhaps, peace of mind.

00:09:22:15 - 00:09:55:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so again, I want to thank you for watching this video. Listen, if you're a youth pastor, I want to encourage you to hop down the link on the show notes and grab this. This parent tech talks in this parent and teen tech talks worksheet and pass it out at a maybe a parent and tech workshop. Even go back and use this video to use it as a springboard for conversations where in this in this worksheet, it's going to allow both sides to kind of share their perspectives on technology usage, as well as offer a slew of other bonus questions.

00:09:55:11 - 00:10:14:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But linked right here in the fourth and final installment of this playlist is video. I'm titling from screen to scene, and we're going to talk about how to be more present in an always digital world. Thank you for sticking around for this entire video. And don't forget, my friends as always to stay hybrid.

]]> 🎧 Become a “Hybrid Hero”
https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry

⚙️Tech Talks: For Parents and Teens
https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry/shop/parent-tech-talks-817359?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=productshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

DESCRIPTION
🎙️ Tech Talks: Equipping Parents to Guide Their Digital Natives is your ultimate resource for navigating the wild world of screens and social media! Designed to spark meaningful conversations, this episode drops 5 practical questions to help parents and teens tackle digital habits together. Bonus: there's a downloadable worksheet, perfect for your next workshop or family night. 🚀

📓 SHOWNOTES
http://www.hybridministry.xyz/134

//DETOX WORKSHEET
https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry/shop/digital-detox-family-worksheet-763860?source=storefront

//AUDIT WORKSHEET
https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry/shop/social-feed-audit-activity-for-parents-789323?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=productshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

//3 MONITORING TOOLS
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/DWYvsn2Kglk?si=wayQHd1zQC09I6qg
TRY COVENANT EYES: https://covenanteyes.sjv.io/g1zVZA

👉 STAY CONNECTED WITH NICK
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@clasonnick
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hybridministry/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@clasonnick
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HybridMinistry
Website: https://www.hybridministry.xyz

--------------
🎉 FREE STUFF 🎉
We have all kinds of FREE Things that you can use in your context!
The best way to pay us back is a review or a YouTube Subscribe!
https://www.linktr.ee/clasonnick

--------------
🛠️TOOLS I USE THAT CAN HELP YOU!
Some of the below links are affiliate links in which we do recieve a small commission based on your purchase or use of products
VIDIQ
https://vidiq.com/hybrid

BEST DYM RESOURCES
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/dym

OPUS.PRO FOR AI SHORTS & REELS
https://www.opus.pro/?via=a5d361

//YOUTUBE STARTER KIT FOR UNDER $100
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/youtubestarterkit

//SIDEKICK SETUP GUIDE
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/setup

⌚TIMECODES
00:00 Tech Talks: Equipping Parents to Talk to their Digital Natives
01:52 Parenting Teens Philosophy
04:10 Question #1
04:44 Question #2
05:34 Question #3
06:36 Question #4
07:16 Question #5
07:51 My Recommended Parenting Apps

--------------
TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00:17 - 00:00:26:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Let me guess. If you're a parent trying to talk to your teens about tech and screens and social, you feel like when you're doing so, you're speaking a completely foreign language. If that's you, go ahead and subscribe to this channel. And let me guess, if you're a teenager, having a parent try to relate to you in that tech space and it feels totally cringe.

00:00:26:22 - 00:00:46:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Go ahead and give me a like on this video. And if you're a youth pastor, just simply trying to bring the two sides together, well then you're in the right spot. Go ahead and turn the bell on. Because here in this video on the Hybrid Ministry show, what we're going to do is we are going to share. I'm going to share with you my parent and tech philosophy.

00:00:46:25 - 00:01:10:21
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I'm also going to share with you five great questions that you can use to start with a family, to open up good discussion around technology. If you're a parent, I'm going to share with you my top three monitoring resources. And finally, stick around to the very end of the video because I'm going to share with you a worksheet that has not only those five good questions shared in this video, but some bonus questions that you can hop over and that you can download.

00:01:10:21 - 00:01:28:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
My patrons get it for free. If you're a youth pastor, it's only $4 per month. You'll get all the worksheets that are included in this current playlist that's linked right here that we're in. We're now in part three of four of this parent tech and screens worksheet and playlist, where I'm sharing a worksheet in every single video. The patron.

00:01:28:18 - 00:01:50:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
The Patreon subscription is only $4 per month. And so that would cover all of these worksheets. And then some. Along with if you subscribe, you get a bonus podcast where I'm going to talk about what I'm doing weekly in my youth ministry, helping promote creativity, screen safety, hive and hybrid ministry. Welcome my friends to the show that's named after what I call it.

00:01:50:12 - 00:02:28:13
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Welcome to the Hybrid Ministry show. All right, so here's my philosophy around technology and screens, okay. The philosophy is very simply this. You just have to start having conversations around it, especially if you are concerned about your teens usage or you might be concerned down the road about it. Start the conversation earlier than you might want. Because here's the thing if you've downloaded either of my last two worksheets or the Digital Detox worksheet or the Feed Audit worksheet, well, you've got to come to understand is that both of those are set to help open up and promote a conversation between parents and between teenagers.

00:02:28:18 - 00:03:03:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But if you're concerned about it, the way we as parents often handle it is we have some big, explosive sort of like come to Jesus reckoning moment where we think we did the job. But but the change often best happens, and the transformation takes place most naturally through ongoing conversations where the conversations feel less threatening, which is one of the reasons, especially in the last worksheet, where I encourage you as a parent to offer immunity because you may, as you're auditing some your son or daughter's feed, you may find things that you don't want, but because you're saying, hey, listen, it's going to be okay.

00:03:03:11 - 00:03:30:26
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
We're going to work through this together. You're offering them the ability to actually open up and have that conversation, which is ultimately what you're hoping. You're hoping that the conversation will lead to heart and life change and transformation over time, as opposed to just like adjusting and changing the behavior. That's just simply behavior modification. That's white knuckling it as opposed to genuine true heart change.

00:03:30:26 - 00:03:58:03
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
That's the goal of all pastors of of should be of all churches is definitely the goal of Jesus. And so lead with grace and understanding versus annoyance and constant frustration. And when you start with that, it hopefully will start to crack open the door towards honest conversations. And so with that philosophy as the foundation, as the backdrop of all of this, let's walk in to these five questions.

00:03:58:03 - 00:04:19:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And if you're here in a workshop, I want to encourage you after each question to just pause it and stop and let parents and teens have these conversations in rows, around tables or wherever, whatever your setting looks like. So the first question is this how does technology make our life better? I want you to I want to encourage you to think about things like perhaps like 360, right?

00:04:19:06 - 00:04:45:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Like G.P.S. type tracking things, or even just GPS navigation in general. Being able to get from point A to point B, especially if you're in an unfamiliar place, maybe things like banking or keeping a shared calendar or grocery list, like, all right, think those types of things. In what ways do those things make technology better? If you're watching here in a workshop, go ahead, pause this video and I'll let you have a chance to discuss.

00:04:45:15 - 00:05:03:29
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But for the rest of us here on YouTube, I want you to now think and ask through this second question, which goes like this. How well do you think I and if you're a parent, I want to encourage you to ask this question. Being willing to be vulnerable, being willing to to, you know, put yourself out there in such a way.

00:05:04:03 - 00:05:29:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
How well do you feel like I balance my screen time, right. And again, this is going to cause you and have to ask you to be a little bit vulnerable and maybe even during this section here, when you're having this discussion with your teen, I want to encourage you to maybe look up your current screen time reports. And if you're if you're not happy with or you're unsatisfied with what that says, I want to encourage you then to maybe set a goal for something new.

00:05:29:10 - 00:05:49:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So if you're watching this live, if you're having a discussion, go ahead, pause the video now. But for the rest of us, we're going to move on here to question number three, which is this. What is your most visited website or app and why? Right. And here's why. The and why part of this question helps you get a peek into their soul a little bit.

00:05:49:06 - 00:06:19:17
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
All right. Helps reveal their hobbies or their desires. Right. Like for me, what I would say one of the most like, visited things for me is, like Instagram. And the reason I like Instagram is because I have a heavy basketball algorithm and I'm a huge basketball fan. And so getting on there, I'm hoping that it will share with me, illuminate with me, give me interesting content around basketball and and doing that the and why part of that question right reveals to you that I enjoy watching basketball.

00:06:19:20 - 00:06:36:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so the and why part of that question hopefully will help reveal on both sides student and parent what it is that they're into, what it is that they're actually looking for, what it is that their phone is feeding them, that they are finding so interesting. So go ahead, pause the video and take a minute to discuss that.

00:06:36:13 - 00:06:56:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But for the rest of us, we're going to move on here to question number four, which is do you feel as a technology brings our family together or tears us apart? And again, I want to consider allowing this conversation to be a free flowing conversation. Let it have immunity, you know, don't get defensive regardless of what the answer is.

00:06:56:09 - 00:07:18:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Don't get defensive here. The other person side, right? I often use the phrase perception is reality. And so in this case allow their perception to be the reality. Don't argue it, don't fight it. But just let them say and speak their peace. So go ahead, take a minute. Have this discussion for the rest of us. We're going to move on here to question number five, which is this.

00:07:19:01 - 00:07:53:25
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Would you prefer more or less phone time personally? Would you prefer to have more or would you prefer to have less phone time again? Speak freely again. No judgment. Okay. But based on their answers, I want you to set a family goal to work on it together. Especially especially if you are saying you want to have less of it, then I want to encourage you to link down below my detox worksheet, which will give you five tips to work together better as a family to detox, you might have times that you're spending on screen, but once they're right now, link down.

00:07:53:25 - 00:08:16:13
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Below are the three tools is linked to a video. The three tools that I recommend you exploring for better screen usage, and perhaps even more restrictions on phones if that is something that you're looking to go towards. And so in that video, I debate between or a plus circle, I debate between the Bach, family of products, Bach phones and Bach monitoring.

00:08:16:20 - 00:08:40:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And then I also share with you my recommended resource called Covenant Eyes. And why I prefer to use Covenant Eyes is because it has constant screen monitoring. It is analyzing screenshots on a constant basis of every single thing that is being viewed on your screen. Right? Because the difference is, if it's just you URL based, you can sort of find workarounds to that look.

00:08:40:16 - 00:09:00:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Look at your teenager right now. If you're still in this workshop, they know that they can find workarounds to that. But if they want and you want to have a more holistic and a more robust monitoring system, Covenant Eyes will do that. And best yet, if you have an Android, it will do it on every single thing that is seen and is visible on your screen at any given time.

00:09:01:00 - 00:09:22:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Where an apple, it's only showing you what you're using inside the Covenant Eyes browser that simply just said their technology and their API type settings. And so if your son does have an iPhone as much as, the social capital will go down because you have to get them away from the blue bubbles. And Android is better for their long term purity and for your, perhaps, peace of mind.

00:09:22:15 - 00:09:55:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so again, I want to thank you for watching this video. Listen, if you're a youth pastor, I want to encourage you to hop down the link on the show notes and grab this. This parent tech talks in this parent and teen tech talks worksheet and pass it out at a maybe a parent and tech workshop. Even go back and use this video to use it as a springboard for conversations where in this in this worksheet, it's going to allow both sides to kind of share their perspectives on technology usage, as well as offer a slew of other bonus questions.

00:09:55:11 - 00:10:14:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But linked right here in the fourth and final installment of this playlist is video. I'm titling from screen to scene, and we're going to talk about how to be more present in an always digital world. Thank you for sticking around for this entire video. And don't forget, my friends as always to stay hybrid.

]]> Episode 133: Scroll with Purpose: Teaching Teens to Use Phones Wisely https://www.hybridministry.xyz/133 909cd93e-50fa-4ede-8100-3557345e16b5 Thu, 23 Jan 2025 05:00:00 -0600 Nick Clason 133 Scroll with Purpose: Teaching Teens to Use Phones Wisely full Nick Clason In this episode of **_Hybrid Ministry_**, we tackle the challenge of helping teens navigate their phones with purpose and wisdom. * Discover three essential rules for using social media wisely * A powerful resource to protect your teens from harmful online content * and an interactive "Social Feed Audit" activity to spark meaningful conversations. Don't miss the downloadable *Social Feed Audit Activity*—a practical tool for fostering healthier digital habits. 10:24 no 🎧 Become a “Hybrid Hero” https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry 📲Social Feed Audit Activity https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry/shop/social-feed-audit-activity-for-parents-789323?utmmedium=clipboardcopy&utmsource=copyLink&utmcampaign=productsharecreator&utmcontent=join_link DESCRIPTION In this episode of Hybrid Ministry, we tackle the challenge of helping teens navigate their phones with purpose and wisdom. * Discover three essential rules for using social media wisely * A powerful resource to protect your teens from harmful online content * and an interactive "Social Feed Audit" activity to spark meaningful conversations. Don't miss the downloadable Social Feed Audit Activity—a practical tool for fostering healthier digital habits. 📓 SHOWNOTES http://www.hybridministry.xyz/133 //Social Feed Audit Activity https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry/shop/social-feed-audit-activity-for-parents-789323?source=storefront //📥 DIGITAL DETOX FAMILY WORKSHEET [Episode 132] https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry/shop/digital-detox-family-worksheet-763860?utmmedium=clipboardcopy&utmsource=copyLink&utmcampaign=productsharecreator&utmcontent=join_link //3 MONITORING TOOLS VIDEO: https://youtu.be/DWYvsn2Kglk?si=wayQHd1zQC09I6qg TRY COVENANT EYES: https://covenanteyes.sjv.io/g1zVZA 👉 STAY CONNECTED WITH NICK YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@clasonnick Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hybridministry/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@clasonnick Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HybridMinistry Website: https://www.hybridministry.xyz -------------- 🎉 FREE STUFF 🎉 We have all kinds of FREE Things that you can use in your context! The best way to pay us back is a review or a YouTube Subscribe! https://www.linktr.ee/clasonnick -------------- 🛠️TOOLS I USE THAT CAN HELP YOU! Some of the below links are affiliate links in which we do recieve a small commission based on your purchase or use of products VIDIQ https://vidiq.com/hybrid BEST DYM RESOURCES https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/dym OPUS.PRO FOR AI SHORTS & REELS https://www.opus.pro/?via=a5d361 //YOUTUBE STARTER KIT FOR UNDER $100 https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/youtubestarterkit //SIDEKICK SETUP GUIDE https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/setup ⌚TIMECODES 00:00 How to Clean Up Your Social Feeds 01:27 Rule #1 03:12 Rule #2 06:13 Rule #3 06:59 My Recommended Accountability Tool 08:06 Social Feed Audit Activity -------------- TRANSCRIPT 00:00:00:12 - 00:00:25:24 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry Give me a like. If you've ever heard this argument about social media. Social media is just a bunch of people dancing. It's useless, right? You've probably heard that before. Parents. Pastors. Teachers. Teenagers. I once heard a pastor say, show me your bank account and it will reveal the desires of your heart. Well, I believe that in 2025 and beyond. 00:00:25:26 - 00:00:55:22 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry Show me your algorithm and it will reveal the desires of your heart. You know the algorithms are so good. They're like, if that's what you see on your social media feed, that's probably what you are wanting to see. That's what you're hovering longer on this with the algorithm knows and is feeding you more of. And so in this video we're going to do is we're going to talk about how you can clean up your feed, how you can audit it, and how you can make it a type of feed that will honor God in the process. 00:00:55:23 - 00:01:14:13 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry We're going to share three rules for social media wisdom. I'm going to give you one resource that's going to help protect you and your team from what you see on your screens, as well as a downloadable worksheet for you to snag at the end. Or hit this QR code here at the bottom so that you can use it. 00:01:14:13 - 00:01:43:29 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry If you're a youth pastor. Download it. Share it with your parents. This is one of the best resources I think, that I have ever put together. Welcome my friends to the Hybrid Mr. Show. Hey everyone, welcome to the Hybrid Ministry Show. If you haven't had a chance to meet yet, my name is Nick Klassen. I've been youth ministry for 14 years and I have two boys, eight and six, who are squarely in Gen Alpha, and they are waving their way on up into this world of tech and screens and social. 00:01:43:29 - 00:02:04:28 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry And so in this video, I want to share with you three my three rules for social media. The first rule is this harmful social media, right? I think a lot of us have this understanding that social media is harmful, right? But I don't believe it's all harmful. I just believe that harmful social media is when you use it mindlessly, right? 00:02:04:29 - 00:02:28:10 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry It's equals when you have a mindless use of it. And so what I want to encourage you to do is I want to encourage you to put parameters and rules around your screen and social usage. You know, if you didn't watch the last video, which is going to be linked right here, we went through five different tips to have more of a screen detox type of life in a quote always on world. 00:02:28:10 - 00:02:50:22 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry And I don't you don't have to adopt those five rules. I just want to encourage you to have some rules, because when you use it mindlessly, when you use it without any barriers, without any parameters, that's where things get tricky. That's where things get dangerous. And that's where we start to see that addiction set in and people not able to make the right and smart type of choices that we're hoping that they can make in their life. 00:02:50:22 - 00:03:13:23 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry Because social and technology has this sort of like, addictive, way of interacting with the neural pathways in your brain. And so that's why there needs to be a set of parameters that you place on yourself, and then maybe even you agree with with some other members of your family. The second rule that I have for you is just simply a question. 00:03:13:23 - 00:03:45:08 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry Is it you or is it a AI? Right? Like I said earlier, show me your algorithm and I'll show you the desires of your heart. Let me give you a positive example of this in my own world. Right? So YouTube, we pay for premium YouTube at our house because my boys like to watch Minecraft videos on YouTube. And once I realized that this was something that was not going to go away, was that they were always going to want and desire and find themselves wanting to explore some of those Minecraft type videos on YouTube. 00:03:45:08 - 00:04:09:12 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry I realized I want to have a little bit more control over the ads or the or taking them away, right? So I pray I pay for premium YouTube. Now here's what's interesting on my account. This very account that you might even be watching this video on when when you log into YouTube on my TV, it's littered with Minecraft videos. 00:04:09:12 - 00:04:34:26 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry Like that's almost all that the For You algorithm is sharing and showing on my television YouTube account. Switch over though, when I pull open my cell phone on YouTube because I myself also watch and use YouTube. All almost all it feeds me there is basketball content, all right. Or the types of, podcasts that I listen to on a regular basis. 00:04:34:26 - 00:04:55:15 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry So it's even interesting to me is that it will show me videos that I've of, of channels that I've never even subscribed to, but that I've interacted with, that I've watched before, way before. It shows me videos of things that I'm subscribed to. Right? Which is why, like, I would love for you to subscribe if you haven't yet, please do so. 00:04:55:23 - 00:05:22:02 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry But if you haven't, if you just watch my videos, the algorithm is going to show my videos to you next time you log in, as opposed to just showing it to you just because you are a sort of like mindless, nameless subscriber. And so I share that to say the algorithm, the accounts, these social platforms, they're really powerful and they're also really smart. 00:05:22:02 - 00:05:48:20 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry And so if you're not intentional with your use the AI, the algorithm is going to make decisions for you, right. And that YouTube example, that's a positive example. But let's just switch it to a negative example for a minute. If you're a boy, it's going to assume that you want to see girls on your social media. And if you're not careful, that I will continue to feed more and more and more of that. 00:05:48:24 - 00:06:08:11 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry Now, listen, I know that that sounds hopeless, and especially if you're a parent, you're like, well, that's exactly what I'm trying to get away from. Not all hope is lost, and I believe that social can be redeemed for good. You can manipulate your algorithm both positively and negatively, and we're going to get in that in just a minute. 00:06:08:11 - 00:06:38:18 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry Because my third rule for social media is you need to have accountability. If you don't have an outlet to discuss, I want to encourage you to invite somebody into your life, especially if you are trending down that negative sort of algorithm pathway. Get yourself out of it. Ask somebody for help, throw for a lifeline, but then have a regular rhythm of conversation and a regular rhythm of accountability. 00:06:38:25 - 00:07:04:12 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry Set some goals and then ask somebody, as Paul David Tripp says, ask somebody to be intentionally intrusive in your life. Now, parents, the resource that I use, I use personally and that I recommend we talked about in a previous video, I'll link it down below. We talked about aura. We talked about Bach, but also the one that I like the most. 00:07:04:12 - 00:07:31:15 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry And we that we talked about that. I also recommend is a service called Covenant Eyes. Okay. And what Covenant Eyes does is it installs on your phone. It's let's I'm just going to say some it might you might disagree with it. It's better on Android than it is on Apple. And the reason why is that it will run a constant screen monitoring in the background of your phone at every given moment on an Android. 00:07:31:17 - 00:07:59:08 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry On Apple, it only does it in the in the Covenant Eyes browser. But the nice thing about that, especially on Android, is that you know that if you can't watch every single thing on your kid's phone, you can log in as one of their allies is what they use the the language, the verbiage that they use. You can log in as one of their allies and view their screen activity and literally see snapshot after snapshot of what they're watching, of what they're viewing, of what is on their screen. 00:07:59:11 - 00:08:24:29 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry And so that's why I recommend that. And it's actually linked below in our social feed audit activity worksheet. And in this audit activity worksheet, what it's going to do is it's going to share with you 50 different social platforms to ask about right. Whether you have a great and wide open communication policy with your teenager, or whether it's a little bit more closed off, this will give you the resources. 00:08:24:29 - 00:08:50:03 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry This will give you a list of resources to ask about, right to inquire whether they have one, even if they don't know that they haven't, even if they're not trying to hide it from you, or even if they maybe are trying to hide it from you, and then you can go through and I recommend that you, offer immunity during this audit process, especially if your boy or daughter, is having a lot of things on their algorithm that you wouldn't approve of. 00:08:50:08 - 00:09:15:09 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry But as you go through, you can audit and you can ask this question, does this honor God? And the good news is that most social medias offer the ability for you to, click something that says, I'm not interested in this and ask the algorithm to feed it to you less often. And so if you go through that activity with your son or with your daughter, you can you can help manipulate their algorithm and then pair that with a tool like Covenant Eyes. 00:09:15:14 - 00:09:45:20 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry You can add back in some constant screen accountability. And maybe you become an accountability person. Or maybe you ask them to invite somebody else into their life a trusted friend, mentor, or adult that can ask them the hard questions of what they're trying to do and the goals that they're trying to set on social media. But in this new year, in 2025, as screen usage and social media usage is becoming more and more prevalent and more and more prominent, I want this tool to be a way for you. 00:09:45:21 - 00:10:09:05 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry Whether you're a parent, whether you're a youth pastor dishing this out to some of your parents, I want you to be equipped with what it takes to start having this conversation about balancing, using what we use on social media so that you will scroll with purpose. And in the very next video, what I want to do is, I want to have you click here on screen, we are going to open up a conversation between parents and between students. 00:10:09:05 - 00:10:21:14 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry And we're just simply calling the video tech talks equipping parents to talk to their digital natives. I'll see you over there in that video. But until next time. And as always, my friends stay hybrid. digital detox, finding balance, always-on world, social media detox, digital well-being, screen time management, technology balance, mental health and tech, unplugging from technology, managing screen addiction, healthy tech habits, digital hygiene tips, reducing screen time, digital mindfulness, tech-life balance, digital overload solutions, disconnect to reconnect, tech detox for families, balancing online and offline life, finding tech-life harmony, hybrid ministry, church social media, nick clason, Social Feed Audit, Clean up Algorithm, Christian TikTok 🎧 Become a “Hybrid Hero”
https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry

📲Social Feed Audit Activity
https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry/shop/social-feed-audit-activity-for-parents-789323?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=productshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

DESCRIPTION
In this episode of Hybrid Ministry, we tackle the challenge of helping teens navigate their phones with purpose and wisdom.

  • Discover three essential rules for using social media wisely
  • A powerful resource to protect your teens from harmful online content
  • and an interactive "Social Feed Audit" activity to spark meaningful conversations.

Don't miss the downloadable Social Feed Audit Activity—a practical tool for fostering healthier digital habits.

📓 SHOWNOTES
http://www.hybridministry.xyz/133

//Social Feed Audit Activity
https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry/shop/social-feed-audit-activity-for-parents-789323?source=storefront

//📥 DIGITAL DETOX FAMILY WORKSHEET [Episode 132]
https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry/shop/digital-detox-family-worksheet-763860?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=productshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

//3 MONITORING TOOLS
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/DWYvsn2Kglk?si=wayQHd1zQC09I6qg
TRY COVENANT EYES: https://covenanteyes.sjv.io/g1zVZA

👉 STAY CONNECTED WITH NICK
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@clasonnick
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hybridministry/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@clasonnick
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HybridMinistry
Website: https://www.hybridministry.xyz

--------------
🎉 FREE STUFF 🎉
We have all kinds of FREE Things that you can use in your context!
The best way to pay us back is a review or a YouTube Subscribe!
https://www.linktr.ee/clasonnick

--------------
🛠️TOOLS I USE THAT CAN HELP YOU!
Some of the below links are affiliate links in which we do recieve a small commission based on your purchase or use of products
VIDIQ
https://vidiq.com/hybrid

BEST DYM RESOURCES
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/dym

OPUS.PRO FOR AI SHORTS & REELS
https://www.opus.pro/?via=a5d361

//YOUTUBE STARTER KIT FOR UNDER $100
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/youtubestarterkit

//SIDEKICK SETUP GUIDE
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/setup

⌚TIMECODES
00:00 How to Clean Up Your Social Feeds
01:27 Rule #1
03:12 Rule #2
06:13 Rule #3
06:59 My Recommended Accountability Tool
08:06 Social Feed Audit Activity

--------------
TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00:12 - 00:00:25:24
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Give me a like. If you've ever heard this argument about social media. Social media is just a bunch of people dancing. It's useless, right? You've probably heard that before. Parents. Pastors. Teachers. Teenagers. I once heard a pastor say, show me your bank account and it will reveal the desires of your heart. Well, I believe that in 2025 and beyond.

00:00:25:26 - 00:00:55:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Show me your algorithm and it will reveal the desires of your heart. You know the algorithms are so good. They're like, if that's what you see on your social media feed, that's probably what you are wanting to see. That's what you're hovering longer on this with the algorithm knows and is feeding you more of. And so in this video we're going to do is we're going to talk about how you can clean up your feed, how you can audit it, and how you can make it a type of feed that will honor God in the process.

00:00:55:23 - 00:01:14:13
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
We're going to share three rules for social media wisdom. I'm going to give you one resource that's going to help protect you and your team from what you see on your screens, as well as a downloadable worksheet for you to snag at the end. Or hit this QR code here at the bottom so that you can use it.

00:01:14:13 - 00:01:43:29
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
If you're a youth pastor. Download it. Share it with your parents. This is one of the best resources I think, that I have ever put together. Welcome my friends to the Hybrid Mr. Show. Hey everyone, welcome to the Hybrid Ministry Show. If you haven't had a chance to meet yet, my name is Nick Klassen. I've been youth ministry for 14 years and I have two boys, eight and six, who are squarely in Gen Alpha, and they are waving their way on up into this world of tech and screens and social.

00:01:43:29 - 00:02:04:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so in this video, I want to share with you three my three rules for social media. The first rule is this harmful social media, right? I think a lot of us have this understanding that social media is harmful, right? But I don't believe it's all harmful. I just believe that harmful social media is when you use it mindlessly, right?

00:02:04:29 - 00:02:28:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
It's equals when you have a mindless use of it. And so what I want to encourage you to do is I want to encourage you to put parameters and rules around your screen and social usage. You know, if you didn't watch the last video, which is going to be linked right here, we went through five different tips to have more of a screen detox type of life in a quote always on world.

00:02:28:10 - 00:02:50:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And I don't you don't have to adopt those five rules. I just want to encourage you to have some rules, because when you use it mindlessly, when you use it without any barriers, without any parameters, that's where things get tricky. That's where things get dangerous. And that's where we start to see that addiction set in and people not able to make the right and smart type of choices that we're hoping that they can make in their life.

00:02:50:22 - 00:03:13:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Because social and technology has this sort of like, addictive, way of interacting with the neural pathways in your brain. And so that's why there needs to be a set of parameters that you place on yourself, and then maybe even you agree with with some other members of your family. The second rule that I have for you is just simply a question.

00:03:13:23 - 00:03:45:08
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Is it you or is it a AI? Right? Like I said earlier, show me your algorithm and I'll show you the desires of your heart. Let me give you a positive example of this in my own world. Right? So YouTube, we pay for premium YouTube at our house because my boys like to watch Minecraft videos on YouTube. And once I realized that this was something that was not going to go away, was that they were always going to want and desire and find themselves wanting to explore some of those Minecraft type videos on YouTube.

00:03:45:08 - 00:04:09:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I realized I want to have a little bit more control over the ads or the or taking them away, right? So I pray I pay for premium YouTube. Now here's what's interesting on my account. This very account that you might even be watching this video on when when you log into YouTube on my TV, it's littered with Minecraft videos.

00:04:09:12 - 00:04:34:26
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Like that's almost all that the For You algorithm is sharing and showing on my television YouTube account. Switch over though, when I pull open my cell phone on YouTube because I myself also watch and use YouTube. All almost all it feeds me there is basketball content, all right. Or the types of, podcasts that I listen to on a regular basis.

00:04:34:26 - 00:04:55:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So it's even interesting to me is that it will show me videos that I've of, of channels that I've never even subscribed to, but that I've interacted with, that I've watched before, way before. It shows me videos of things that I'm subscribed to. Right? Which is why, like, I would love for you to subscribe if you haven't yet, please do so.

00:04:55:23 - 00:05:22:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But if you haven't, if you just watch my videos, the algorithm is going to show my videos to you next time you log in, as opposed to just showing it to you just because you are a sort of like mindless, nameless subscriber. And so I share that to say the algorithm, the accounts, these social platforms, they're really powerful and they're also really smart.

00:05:22:02 - 00:05:48:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so if you're not intentional with your use the AI, the algorithm is going to make decisions for you, right. And that YouTube example, that's a positive example. But let's just switch it to a negative example for a minute. If you're a boy, it's going to assume that you want to see girls on your social media. And if you're not careful, that I will continue to feed more and more and more of that.

00:05:48:24 - 00:06:08:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Now, listen, I know that that sounds hopeless, and especially if you're a parent, you're like, well, that's exactly what I'm trying to get away from. Not all hope is lost, and I believe that social can be redeemed for good. You can manipulate your algorithm both positively and negatively, and we're going to get in that in just a minute.

00:06:08:11 - 00:06:38:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Because my third rule for social media is you need to have accountability. If you don't have an outlet to discuss, I want to encourage you to invite somebody into your life, especially if you are trending down that negative sort of algorithm pathway. Get yourself out of it. Ask somebody for help, throw for a lifeline, but then have a regular rhythm of conversation and a regular rhythm of accountability.

00:06:38:25 - 00:07:04:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Set some goals and then ask somebody, as Paul David Tripp says, ask somebody to be intentionally intrusive in your life. Now, parents, the resource that I use, I use personally and that I recommend we talked about in a previous video, I'll link it down below. We talked about aura. We talked about Bach, but also the one that I like the most.

00:07:04:12 - 00:07:31:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And we that we talked about that. I also recommend is a service called Covenant Eyes. Okay. And what Covenant Eyes does is it installs on your phone. It's let's I'm just going to say some it might you might disagree with it. It's better on Android than it is on Apple. And the reason why is that it will run a constant screen monitoring in the background of your phone at every given moment on an Android.

00:07:31:17 - 00:07:59:08
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
On Apple, it only does it in the in the Covenant Eyes browser. But the nice thing about that, especially on Android, is that you know that if you can't watch every single thing on your kid's phone, you can log in as one of their allies is what they use the the language, the verbiage that they use. You can log in as one of their allies and view their screen activity and literally see snapshot after snapshot of what they're watching, of what they're viewing, of what is on their screen.

00:07:59:11 - 00:08:24:29
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so that's why I recommend that. And it's actually linked below in our social feed audit activity worksheet. And in this audit activity worksheet, what it's going to do is it's going to share with you 50 different social platforms to ask about right. Whether you have a great and wide open communication policy with your teenager, or whether it's a little bit more closed off, this will give you the resources.

00:08:24:29 - 00:08:50:03
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
This will give you a list of resources to ask about, right to inquire whether they have one, even if they don't know that they haven't, even if they're not trying to hide it from you, or even if they maybe are trying to hide it from you, and then you can go through and I recommend that you, offer immunity during this audit process, especially if your boy or daughter, is having a lot of things on their algorithm that you wouldn't approve of.

00:08:50:08 - 00:09:15:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But as you go through, you can audit and you can ask this question, does this honor God? And the good news is that most social medias offer the ability for you to, click something that says, I'm not interested in this and ask the algorithm to feed it to you less often. And so if you go through that activity with your son or with your daughter, you can you can help manipulate their algorithm and then pair that with a tool like Covenant Eyes.

00:09:15:14 - 00:09:45:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
You can add back in some constant screen accountability. And maybe you become an accountability person. Or maybe you ask them to invite somebody else into their life a trusted friend, mentor, or adult that can ask them the hard questions of what they're trying to do and the goals that they're trying to set on social media. But in this new year, in 2025, as screen usage and social media usage is becoming more and more prevalent and more and more prominent, I want this tool to be a way for you.

00:09:45:21 - 00:10:09:05
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Whether you're a parent, whether you're a youth pastor dishing this out to some of your parents, I want you to be equipped with what it takes to start having this conversation about balancing, using what we use on social media so that you will scroll with purpose. And in the very next video, what I want to do is, I want to have you click here on screen, we are going to open up a conversation between parents and between students.

00:10:09:05 - 00:10:21:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And we're just simply calling the video tech talks equipping parents to talk to their digital natives. I'll see you over there in that video. But until next time. And as always, my friends stay hybrid.

]]> 🎧 Become a “Hybrid Hero”
https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry

📲Social Feed Audit Activity
https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry/shop/social-feed-audit-activity-for-parents-789323?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=productshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

DESCRIPTION
In this episode of Hybrid Ministry, we tackle the challenge of helping teens navigate their phones with purpose and wisdom.

  • Discover three essential rules for using social media wisely
  • A powerful resource to protect your teens from harmful online content
  • and an interactive "Social Feed Audit" activity to spark meaningful conversations.

Don't miss the downloadable Social Feed Audit Activity—a practical tool for fostering healthier digital habits.

📓 SHOWNOTES
http://www.hybridministry.xyz/133

//Social Feed Audit Activity
https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry/shop/social-feed-audit-activity-for-parents-789323?source=storefront

//📥 DIGITAL DETOX FAMILY WORKSHEET [Episode 132]
https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry/shop/digital-detox-family-worksheet-763860?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=productshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

//3 MONITORING TOOLS
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/DWYvsn2Kglk?si=wayQHd1zQC09I6qg
TRY COVENANT EYES: https://covenanteyes.sjv.io/g1zVZA

👉 STAY CONNECTED WITH NICK
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@clasonnick
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hybridministry/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@clasonnick
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HybridMinistry
Website: https://www.hybridministry.xyz

--------------
🎉 FREE STUFF 🎉
We have all kinds of FREE Things that you can use in your context!
The best way to pay us back is a review or a YouTube Subscribe!
https://www.linktr.ee/clasonnick

--------------
🛠️TOOLS I USE THAT CAN HELP YOU!
Some of the below links are affiliate links in which we do recieve a small commission based on your purchase or use of products
VIDIQ
https://vidiq.com/hybrid

BEST DYM RESOURCES
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/dym

OPUS.PRO FOR AI SHORTS & REELS
https://www.opus.pro/?via=a5d361

//YOUTUBE STARTER KIT FOR UNDER $100
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/youtubestarterkit

//SIDEKICK SETUP GUIDE
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/setup

⌚TIMECODES
00:00 How to Clean Up Your Social Feeds
01:27 Rule #1
03:12 Rule #2
06:13 Rule #3
06:59 My Recommended Accountability Tool
08:06 Social Feed Audit Activity

--------------
TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00:12 - 00:00:25:24
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Give me a like. If you've ever heard this argument about social media. Social media is just a bunch of people dancing. It's useless, right? You've probably heard that before. Parents. Pastors. Teachers. Teenagers. I once heard a pastor say, show me your bank account and it will reveal the desires of your heart. Well, I believe that in 2025 and beyond.

00:00:25:26 - 00:00:55:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Show me your algorithm and it will reveal the desires of your heart. You know the algorithms are so good. They're like, if that's what you see on your social media feed, that's probably what you are wanting to see. That's what you're hovering longer on this with the algorithm knows and is feeding you more of. And so in this video we're going to do is we're going to talk about how you can clean up your feed, how you can audit it, and how you can make it a type of feed that will honor God in the process.

00:00:55:23 - 00:01:14:13
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
We're going to share three rules for social media wisdom. I'm going to give you one resource that's going to help protect you and your team from what you see on your screens, as well as a downloadable worksheet for you to snag at the end. Or hit this QR code here at the bottom so that you can use it.

00:01:14:13 - 00:01:43:29
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
If you're a youth pastor. Download it. Share it with your parents. This is one of the best resources I think, that I have ever put together. Welcome my friends to the Hybrid Mr. Show. Hey everyone, welcome to the Hybrid Ministry Show. If you haven't had a chance to meet yet, my name is Nick Klassen. I've been youth ministry for 14 years and I have two boys, eight and six, who are squarely in Gen Alpha, and they are waving their way on up into this world of tech and screens and social.

00:01:43:29 - 00:02:04:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so in this video, I want to share with you three my three rules for social media. The first rule is this harmful social media, right? I think a lot of us have this understanding that social media is harmful, right? But I don't believe it's all harmful. I just believe that harmful social media is when you use it mindlessly, right?

00:02:04:29 - 00:02:28:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
It's equals when you have a mindless use of it. And so what I want to encourage you to do is I want to encourage you to put parameters and rules around your screen and social usage. You know, if you didn't watch the last video, which is going to be linked right here, we went through five different tips to have more of a screen detox type of life in a quote always on world.

00:02:28:10 - 00:02:50:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And I don't you don't have to adopt those five rules. I just want to encourage you to have some rules, because when you use it mindlessly, when you use it without any barriers, without any parameters, that's where things get tricky. That's where things get dangerous. And that's where we start to see that addiction set in and people not able to make the right and smart type of choices that we're hoping that they can make in their life.

00:02:50:22 - 00:03:13:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Because social and technology has this sort of like, addictive, way of interacting with the neural pathways in your brain. And so that's why there needs to be a set of parameters that you place on yourself, and then maybe even you agree with with some other members of your family. The second rule that I have for you is just simply a question.

00:03:13:23 - 00:03:45:08
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Is it you or is it a AI? Right? Like I said earlier, show me your algorithm and I'll show you the desires of your heart. Let me give you a positive example of this in my own world. Right? So YouTube, we pay for premium YouTube at our house because my boys like to watch Minecraft videos on YouTube. And once I realized that this was something that was not going to go away, was that they were always going to want and desire and find themselves wanting to explore some of those Minecraft type videos on YouTube.

00:03:45:08 - 00:04:09:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I realized I want to have a little bit more control over the ads or the or taking them away, right? So I pray I pay for premium YouTube. Now here's what's interesting on my account. This very account that you might even be watching this video on when when you log into YouTube on my TV, it's littered with Minecraft videos.

00:04:09:12 - 00:04:34:26
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Like that's almost all that the For You algorithm is sharing and showing on my television YouTube account. Switch over though, when I pull open my cell phone on YouTube because I myself also watch and use YouTube. All almost all it feeds me there is basketball content, all right. Or the types of, podcasts that I listen to on a regular basis.

00:04:34:26 - 00:04:55:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So it's even interesting to me is that it will show me videos that I've of, of channels that I've never even subscribed to, but that I've interacted with, that I've watched before, way before. It shows me videos of things that I'm subscribed to. Right? Which is why, like, I would love for you to subscribe if you haven't yet, please do so.

00:04:55:23 - 00:05:22:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But if you haven't, if you just watch my videos, the algorithm is going to show my videos to you next time you log in, as opposed to just showing it to you just because you are a sort of like mindless, nameless subscriber. And so I share that to say the algorithm, the accounts, these social platforms, they're really powerful and they're also really smart.

00:05:22:02 - 00:05:48:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so if you're not intentional with your use the AI, the algorithm is going to make decisions for you, right. And that YouTube example, that's a positive example. But let's just switch it to a negative example for a minute. If you're a boy, it's going to assume that you want to see girls on your social media. And if you're not careful, that I will continue to feed more and more and more of that.

00:05:48:24 - 00:06:08:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Now, listen, I know that that sounds hopeless, and especially if you're a parent, you're like, well, that's exactly what I'm trying to get away from. Not all hope is lost, and I believe that social can be redeemed for good. You can manipulate your algorithm both positively and negatively, and we're going to get in that in just a minute.

00:06:08:11 - 00:06:38:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Because my third rule for social media is you need to have accountability. If you don't have an outlet to discuss, I want to encourage you to invite somebody into your life, especially if you are trending down that negative sort of algorithm pathway. Get yourself out of it. Ask somebody for help, throw for a lifeline, but then have a regular rhythm of conversation and a regular rhythm of accountability.

00:06:38:25 - 00:07:04:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Set some goals and then ask somebody, as Paul David Tripp says, ask somebody to be intentionally intrusive in your life. Now, parents, the resource that I use, I use personally and that I recommend we talked about in a previous video, I'll link it down below. We talked about aura. We talked about Bach, but also the one that I like the most.

00:07:04:12 - 00:07:31:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And we that we talked about that. I also recommend is a service called Covenant Eyes. Okay. And what Covenant Eyes does is it installs on your phone. It's let's I'm just going to say some it might you might disagree with it. It's better on Android than it is on Apple. And the reason why is that it will run a constant screen monitoring in the background of your phone at every given moment on an Android.

00:07:31:17 - 00:07:59:08
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
On Apple, it only does it in the in the Covenant Eyes browser. But the nice thing about that, especially on Android, is that you know that if you can't watch every single thing on your kid's phone, you can log in as one of their allies is what they use the the language, the verbiage that they use. You can log in as one of their allies and view their screen activity and literally see snapshot after snapshot of what they're watching, of what they're viewing, of what is on their screen.

00:07:59:11 - 00:08:24:29
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so that's why I recommend that. And it's actually linked below in our social feed audit activity worksheet. And in this audit activity worksheet, what it's going to do is it's going to share with you 50 different social platforms to ask about right. Whether you have a great and wide open communication policy with your teenager, or whether it's a little bit more closed off, this will give you the resources.

00:08:24:29 - 00:08:50:03
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
This will give you a list of resources to ask about, right to inquire whether they have one, even if they don't know that they haven't, even if they're not trying to hide it from you, or even if they maybe are trying to hide it from you, and then you can go through and I recommend that you, offer immunity during this audit process, especially if your boy or daughter, is having a lot of things on their algorithm that you wouldn't approve of.

00:08:50:08 - 00:09:15:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But as you go through, you can audit and you can ask this question, does this honor God? And the good news is that most social medias offer the ability for you to, click something that says, I'm not interested in this and ask the algorithm to feed it to you less often. And so if you go through that activity with your son or with your daughter, you can you can help manipulate their algorithm and then pair that with a tool like Covenant Eyes.

00:09:15:14 - 00:09:45:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
You can add back in some constant screen accountability. And maybe you become an accountability person. Or maybe you ask them to invite somebody else into their life a trusted friend, mentor, or adult that can ask them the hard questions of what they're trying to do and the goals that they're trying to set on social media. But in this new year, in 2025, as screen usage and social media usage is becoming more and more prevalent and more and more prominent, I want this tool to be a way for you.

00:09:45:21 - 00:10:09:05
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Whether you're a parent, whether you're a youth pastor dishing this out to some of your parents, I want you to be equipped with what it takes to start having this conversation about balancing, using what we use on social media so that you will scroll with purpose. And in the very next video, what I want to do is, I want to have you click here on screen, we are going to open up a conversation between parents and between students.

00:10:09:05 - 00:10:21:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And we're just simply calling the video tech talks equipping parents to talk to their digital natives. I'll see you over there in that video. But until next time. And as always, my friends stay hybrid.

]]> Episode 132: Digital Detox: Finding Balance in an Always-On World https://www.hybridministry.xyz/132 64fc5edb-bac7-4804-8312-66be90d1e103 Thu, 16 Jan 2025 05:00:00 -0600 Nick Clason 132 Digital Detox: Finding Balance in an Always-On World full Nick Clason Life today feels like it’s always "on," and teenagers are growing up in a world where there’s no escape from the constant digital noise—even at home. Inspired by Winston Churchill’s midday naps to reset his mental balance, this episode of the Hybrid Ministry Show explores how we can help teens—and ourselves—find moments of rest in an always-connected world. As a youth pastor with 14 years of experience, I’ve seen how the challenges of this generation differ from my own. In this video, I’ll share *5 practical tips for a healthier digital lifestyle*, from screen-free meals to digital sabbaths. Plus, I’ll introduce the **Digital Detox Family Challenge**—a [free to Patrons] worksheet to help families reclaim their time and focus. Whether you’re a parent, teen, or youth pastor, join me for practical tools to build healthier habits. 13:17 no 🎧 Become a “Hybrid Hero” https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry 📥Digital Detox Family Worksheet https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry/shop/digital-detox-family-worksheet-763860?utmmedium=clipboardcopy&utmsource=copyLink&utmcampaign=productsharecreator&utmcontent=join_link DESCRIPTION Life today feels like it’s always "on," and teenagers are growing up in a world where there’s no escape from the constant digital noise—even at home. Inspired by Winston Churchill’s midday naps to reset his mental balance, this episode of the Hybrid Ministry Show explores how we can help teens—and ourselves—find moments of rest in an always-connected world. As a youth pastor with 14 years of experience, I’ve seen how the challenges of this generation differ from my own. In this video, I’ll share 5 practical tips for a healthier digital lifestyle, from screen-free meals to digital sabbaths. Plus, I’ll introduce the Digital Detox Family Challenge—a [free to Patrons] worksheet to help families reclaim their time and focus. Whether you’re a parent, teen, or youth pastor, join me for practical tools to build healthier habits. 📓 SHOWNOTES http://www.hybridministry.xyz/132 //Churchill Article https://fullfocus.co/naps/ //Bark & Aura+Disney vs. Covenant Eyes: An Honest Youth Pastor Review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWYvsn2Kglk&t=160s //Family Phone Lock Box https://walmrt.us/3ZrChfI 👉 STAY CONNECTED WITH NICK YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@clasonnick Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hybridministry/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@clasonnick Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HybridMinistry Website: https://www.hybridministry.xyz -------------- 🎉 FREE STUFF 🎉 We have all kinds of FREE Things that you can use in your context! The best way to pay us back is a review or a YouTube Subscribe! https://www.linktr.ee/clasonnick -------------- 🛠️TOOLS I USE THAT CAN HELP YOU! Some of the below links are affiliate links in which we do recieve a small commission based on your purchase or use of products VIDIQ https://vidiq.com/hybrid BEST DYM RESOURCES https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/dym OPUS.PRO FOR AI SHORTS & REELS https://www.opus.pro/?via=a5d361 //YOUTUBE STARTER KIT FOR UNDER $100 https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/youtubestarterkit //SIDEKICK SETUP GUIDE https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/setup ⌚TIMECODES 00:00 Rest for the Soul in an "Always On" World 02:37 The Technology Tension 04:34 Tip #1 06:50 Tip #2 07:45 Tip #3 08:59 Tip #4 10:17 Tip #5 11:57 Digital Detox Worksheet -------------- TRANSCRIPT 00:00:00:00 - 00:00:00:10 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry Does 00:00:00:10 - 00:00:03:08 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry it feel like in life that you're just 00:00:03:08 - 00:00:07:27 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry always on? Like there's no break, there's no reprieve? 00:00:07:27 - 00:00:10:06 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry Did you know, ironically, 00:00:10:06 - 00:00:21:19 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry Winston Churchill, who was prime minister of Great Britain during World War One, fighting in at that time the world's greatest and biggest war, said this right. He regarded 00:00:21:19 - 00:00:33:14 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry his midday naps as, quote, essential for maintaining his mental balance, renewing his energy and reviving his 00:00:33:14 - 00:00:36:25 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry spirits as a youth pastor for 14 years. 00:00:36:26 - 00:00:44:10 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry One thing that I've found that's unique about this generation of teenagers is that the cell phone has ushered in an era 00:00:44:10 - 00:00:48:15 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry where they never are able to turn it off. 00:00:48:15 - 00:01:05:25 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry The drama follows them home. Conversations with friends follows them home through group chats and Snapchat. And if they're not a part of it, then the tension or the fact that they're missing out might also be causing anxiety because while you as a parent may be taking their phone away from them, they 00:01:05:25 - 00:01:11:27 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry don't know what someone else might be saying about them or what other drama they are going to be missing out on. 00:01:12:03 - 00:01:25:23 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry When I was a kid, that wasn't an option. I was. I was able to go home, and home was able to be my safe spot. And my guess is, if you're a parent just like me, is that you're trying to help your, house be a 00:01:25:23 - 00:01:29:09 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry safe spot. And if you're a youth pastor, my guess is you're trying to help teens 00:01:29:09 - 00:01:30:27 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry navigate this anxiety. 00:01:30:27 - 00:01:35:24 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry But if you didn't grow up in this phenomenon of technology and digital, where you're 00:01:35:24 - 00:01:54:03 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry always on, you might not really truly understand what teenagers are going to. That's why if you're a parent, youth pastor, or teenager, I want to toss out five potential tips to help you drive towards a healthier digital lifestyle, and this is specifically aimed towards teenagers. 00:01:54:07 - 00:01:55:22 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry At the end of this video, I'm going to share 00:01:55:22 - 00:02:15:12 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry with you my Digital Detox Family Challenge worksheet. The link is down below in the description. It is free for my Patreon community, so thank you if you are a part of that. If not just a few bucks. And in that resource there are two interactive family elements. So if you're a parent or a youth pastor, feel free to grab it and use it. 00:02:15:12 - 00:02:25:11 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry And youth pastor share it with your parents as a resource to help them towards a healthier digital lifestyle for their teenagers. And as always in the hybrid Ministry show, 00:02:25:11 - 00:02:37:21 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry there are chapters down below at the bottom so that you can scrub ahead or back to whatever is most relevant to you. Welcome, my friends, to the Hybrid Ministry Show. 00:02:37:25 - 00:02:40:18 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry Well everyone, welcome to the Hybrid Ministry Show. If you and I 00:02:40:18 - 00:02:55:25 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry haven't had a chance to meet yet, my name is Nick Clayson, and as I said in the intro, I'm a 14 year youth ministry veteran, but I'm also a parent of kids six, and eight years old. So they're in, squarely in that generation Alpha sort of time frame. 00:02:55:25 - 00:02:59:01 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry And I see it on the horizon. I'm not quite there yet, 00:02:59:01 - 00:03:09:11 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry but I've also navigated it with teenagers and youth ministry, for 14 years, obviously still relevantly, and currently helping teenagers Wade 00:03:09:11 - 00:03:10:04 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry through and navigate 00:03:10:04 - 00:03:10:25 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry through this 00:03:10:25 - 00:03:30:10 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry digital sort of tension. And so I think that's the biggest thing, right? Is this tension between should we completely abdicate digital or should we teach them how to how to handle it with integrity and with a hygiene that makes sense, and that's going to actually help them as they enter into this world of adulthood and more responsibility. 00:03:30:10 - 00:03:48:11 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry You see, as older generation like myself and even people older than us, a lot of times the mentality is like, your phone is the enemy, just get rid of it, throw it in the lake, throw it in the river and be that as it may, and that might even be the case. Like it might not even it might be something that's dangerous and bad and not helpful to you. 00:03:48:11 - 00:04:07:07 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry Right. We they're not going anywhere. That's the hard thing is cell phones and technology. It's not going anywhere. The dial is only getting cranked up more and more and more. And so we're constantly living in this tension of what we want. Like, do we want to be Laura Ingalls Wilder and living out on the prairie versus like, being someone fully immersed in tech, 00:04:07:07 - 00:04:09:16 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry but knowing like, that's probably not good for us. 00:04:09:16 - 00:04:13:06 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry And we can also see and know the effects of it. And you got to remember, tech is 00:04:13:06 - 00:04:29:28 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry still in its infancy in a lot of ways. And so some of these long term effects brain and and anxiety and mental health, like we don't even know what or how much or if any of it affects us. And so here are five tips to help you and your family navigate through detoxing, 00:04:29:28 - 00:04:32:14 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry digital and finding balance in this quote. 00:04:32:14 - 00:04:34:15 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry Always on world. Tip 00:04:34:18 - 00:04:34:28 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry one 00:04:34:28 - 00:04:42:28 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry is potentially consider setting app time limits. You know I've done this in the past. I don't currently have them set 00:04:42:28 - 00:04:58:02 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry on on my phone. And honestly, the reason behind that is because I'm I'm lazy, right? And I'm not practicing what I'm preaching. But in the past I have set app limitations for things like social media apps that I might scroll more endlessly on. 00:04:58:02 - 00:05:00:12 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry And here's what you got to understand in my current role 00:05:00:12 - 00:05:20:07 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry and job. Like one of my main and primary responsibilities is social media management, content creation and content posting. And so it's made it tricky for me because I can't just say I'm never going to be on Instagram, I'm never going to be on YouTube, or I'm never going to be on TikTok, because that's a key component of our youth ministry strategy. 00:05:20:07 - 00:05:24:29 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry And so I'd put like a 15 minute or 30 minute time limit on those apps 00:05:24:29 - 00:05:39:19 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry so that I could get on. So that I could post so that I could engage with comments, with anyone who's maybe interacted with our content. But then when that 30 minute or 15 minute time limit came to an end on any one of those apps, that would be it for the 00:05:39:19 - 00:05:39:24 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry day. 00:05:39:29 - 00:05:57:22 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry Now, of course, my phone offers me right, like more opportunities to, like add more time, add more time. And so like, I would just kind of do that mindlessly and until eventually to the point where I just like would turn it off because I was on vacation or something. And then of course, I haven't gone back, you know, to turn those things back on. 00:05:57:22 - 00:06:25:15 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry But consider that potentially for your, your teen or your tween or, whoever in your house might be, trying to navigate this balance between work and life and social and digital and screens and all of these things. And, linked right here is actually my review of the best parenting apps for 2025 and beyond. And so it's, conversation between, the Bach phone or a plus Circle by Disney or Covenant Eyes. 00:06:25:21 - 00:06:50:16 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry All three have very different kind of approaches to parental controls and stuff like that, but all three are useful and helpful and beneficial. I give my honest youth pastor take and review, but, feel free to go against my opinion on that. Do whatever works best for you and for your family, but maybe consider setting time limits as a way to help balance this always on world. 00:06:50:22 - 00:06:58:20 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry Tip number two is what if you turned your phone on to grayscale mode, right? There's a feature. My wife and I 00:06:58:20 - 00:07:13:28 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry both did it. And we turned our phones onto grayscale mode, and it was honestly disorienting. And what it does is it's meant to sort of help reduce, sort of those brain chemicals that cause you to be more addicted to your screen. 00:07:14:01 - 00:07:16:14 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry And so when you're on it, it's like, 00:07:16:14 - 00:07:41:04 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry you don't like it. Like I remember just absolutely hating it. And I hated looking at my phone. I hate doing all these things. But like, it was helpful because, time limits are force restrictions. Grayscale mode turns down the desire to just continue to be on my phone and continue to be on there mindlessly scrolling, mindlessly scrolling endlessly like it made me want to actually get off of it. 00:07:41:04 - 00:08:06:13 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry So consider that as an option. Turn on grayscale mode on your phone. Tip number three as a family, what if you created screen free meals? What if once a day you as a family, committed to the discipline of having screen free meals? What if maybe maybe meals don't work? What if you chose, and reclaim some of your time as a family to have a one phone free time per day? 00:08:06:16 - 00:08:10:22 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry Maybe that feels daunting and impossible. Then maybe just start at one phone 00:08:10:22 - 00:08:27:28 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry free time per week where everybody, including the parents, puts their phones away and you engage in one on 1 or 1 on many human discussion at the dinner table, or a family outing, or a family movie night or something like that, where you are phone free, free from distractions. 00:08:27:28 - 00:08:55:14 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry You're you're doing something together and reengaging relationally as a family. And you can even, you know, buy something linked down below, like a phone locker or a phone jail where everyone's phones go in, you know, for a set amount of time, and it doesn't open up until it's over and, you know, emergencies or whatnot. Like if you do it for an hour, even if there is an emergency within that hour, your phone will still tell you at the end of that hour and you'll be able to, you know, handle it as you need to. 00:08:55:14 - 00:08:59:22 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry But it would be a good discipline for you and your family to try, 00:08:59:22 - 00:09:05:24 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry dialing it up even, a little bit more of a notch from screen free meals. What if you considered a 00:09:05:24 - 00:09:06:15 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry digital 00:09:06:15 - 00:09:14:07 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry Sabbath? New Sabbath is an Old Testament term and word for taking a break, you know? So, like in the Rhythm of creation, 00:09:14:07 - 00:09:16:19 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry you look at, the biblical account of creation. 00:09:16:19 - 00:09:35:20 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry God, created the earth in six days. But then on the seventh day, he rested. And you and I, like those of us who go to church like we know that God didn't need rest, right? Like God, God modeled that for Adam and Eve, and it's it's interesting if you think about it. God created man and woman on the sixth day, and then the seventh day he rested. 00:09:35:20 - 00:09:57:16 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry And so Adam and Eve's very first day of being created and being on this earth, they also two not only saw God rest, but they were experiencing that that version of Sabbath. And so what if with your phones, what if with technology, what if you created a quote, digital Sabbath of sorts, perhaps, like on a Saturday or Sunday or like a Friday night to a Saturday afternoon? 00:09:57:16 - 00:10:17:23 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry Like it doesn't have to be one full day. It could be like after work in school on, like a Friday. And then it goes to like a certain time on Saturday, where again, you as a family, maybe throw your phone in one of those boxes and you commit to not, you know, to not being on devices, not being on screens for a certain period of time. 00:10:17:26 - 00:10:35:17 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry And then the fifth and final tip that I have for you here, to to engage in a healthier balance of an always on world is what if you just chose to charge your phone, not in your bedroom? I say charge your phone in your kitchen. First of all, you know, you need to know those emfs coming off your phone like they're 00:10:35:17 - 00:10:36:02 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry bad for you. 00:10:36:02 - 00:10:56:22 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry It literally says it in the terms and conditions on your phone, so don't be right next to it while it's charging. Put it somewhere else, not only for your physical health, but also for your mental health, so that when you're in bed, you're in bed, maybe read, maybe, you know, actually go to sleep, but don't find yourself in there doomscrolling. 00:10:56:22 - 00:11:15:28 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry But consider that as an option or discipline. Parents included kids as well, but keep those things out of rooms. Now just say again 14 year youth ministry veteran. Like, one of the things I've found, especially for teenagers, is gotta get those phones out of their rooms, behind closed doors, and in those privacy private moments. That's where a lot of like, bad decisions might happen. 00:11:15:29 - 00:11:32:13 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry You know, like at summer camp for us, we collect everyone's phone and we charge it in a central spot in the room. They have access to it if their parents call whatever alarms. But we take them from them because we've found that it lights out when kids have phones. That's when shenanigans often happen. And so we take that away. 00:11:32:19 - 00:11:55:10 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry And that's just that's just a rule, right? Like we don't confiscate phones for the whole week, but we do collect them and house them, so to speak, and like a cell phone collection location in order to help with behavior, to help with sleep, to help with a lot of different things. And so what if, as the fifth tip, that was something that you and your family committed to charging your phone away from the bedroom. 00:11:55:10 - 00:12:16:15 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry So you might be thinking like, well, now what do I do? Great. I'm glad you asked. Like I said at the beginning, I have, link down below the Digital Detox Family Challenge worksheet. You can go grab that. It's over on my Patreon is $3, but if you want to become a Patreon for $4 a month, you will not only get every one of these resources that I'm giving away over on that site, but you'll also 00:12:16:15 - 00:12:18:10 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry get a weekly bonus 00:12:18:10 - 00:12:18:18 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry podcast. 00:12:18:20 - 00:12:19:29 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry And if you're in youth ministry, 00:12:19:29 - 00:12:29:14 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry I'm just talking through what I do every week, and I'm giving creative ideas to help you lean into digital, but also handle it with care and integrity and dignity. And so 00:12:29:14 - 00:12:51:26 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry there's a couple of discussion prompts for families and a couple of action steps. And so I would say if you're in youth ministry, this would be a very well, spent $3 to share out in an email newsletter to parents to just encourage them, you know, to try, digital detox with their family, to work through and think through three or, I'm sorry, five different sort of tips to help them in their families. 00:12:51:26 - 00:12:56:18 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry So, link here on screen is the next video in this series, called 00:12:56:18 - 00:13:11:20 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry scroll with Purpose teaching teens to use phones wisely in this digital age and in this digital world. I'd love to have you check that out. If you're here on YouTube, give us a like a rating, a subscribe. All those things really, truly help us out to be found in search. 00:13:11:26 - 00:13:17:01 Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry But until next time. And as always, my friends, I just want to encourage you to stay hybrid. digital detox, finding balance, always-on world, social media detox, digital well-being, screen time management, technology balance, mental health and tech, unplugging from technology, managing screen addiction, healthy tech habits, digital hygiene tips, reducing screen time, digital mindfulness, tech-life balance, digital overload solutions, disconnect to reconnect, tech detox for families, balancing online and offline life, finding tech-life harmony, hybrid ministry, church social media, nick clason 🎧 Become a “Hybrid Hero”
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DESCRIPTION
Life today feels like it’s always "on," and teenagers are growing up in a world where there’s no escape from the constant digital noise—even at home. Inspired by Winston Churchill’s midday naps to reset his mental balance, this episode of the Hybrid Ministry Show explores how we can help teens—and ourselves—find moments of rest in an always-connected world. As a youth pastor with 14 years of experience, I’ve seen how the challenges of this generation differ from my own. In this video, I’ll share 5 practical tips for a healthier digital lifestyle, from screen-free meals to digital sabbaths. Plus, I’ll introduce the Digital Detox Family Challenge—a [free to Patrons] worksheet to help families reclaim their time and focus. Whether you’re a parent, teen, or youth pastor, join me for practical tools to build healthier habits.

📓 SHOWNOTES
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//Churchill Article
https://fullfocus.co/naps/

//Bark & Aura+Disney vs. Covenant Eyes: An Honest Youth Pastor Review
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⌚TIMECODES
00:00 Rest for the Soul in an "Always On" World
02:37 The Technology Tension
04:34 Tip #1
06:50 Tip #2
07:45 Tip #3
08:59 Tip #4
10:17 Tip #5
11:57 Digital Detox Worksheet

--------------
TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:00:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Does

00:00:00:10 - 00:00:03:08
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
it feel like in life that you're just

00:00:03:08 - 00:00:07:27
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
always on? Like there's no break, there's no reprieve?

00:00:07:27 - 00:00:10:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Did you know, ironically,

00:00:10:06 - 00:00:21:19
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Winston Churchill, who was prime minister of Great Britain during World War One, fighting in at that time the world's greatest and biggest war, said this right. He regarded

00:00:21:19 - 00:00:33:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
his midday naps as, quote, essential for maintaining his mental balance, renewing his energy and reviving his

00:00:33:14 - 00:00:36:25
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
spirits as a youth pastor for 14 years.

00:00:36:26 - 00:00:44:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
One thing that I've found that's unique about this generation of teenagers is that the cell phone has ushered in an era

00:00:44:10 - 00:00:48:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
where they never are able to turn it off.

00:00:48:15 - 00:01:05:25
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
The drama follows them home. Conversations with friends follows them home through group chats and Snapchat. And if they're not a part of it, then the tension or the fact that they're missing out might also be causing anxiety because while you as a parent may be taking their phone away from them, they

00:01:05:25 - 00:01:11:27
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
don't know what someone else might be saying about them or what other drama they are going to be missing out on.

00:01:12:03 - 00:01:25:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
When I was a kid, that wasn't an option. I was. I was able to go home, and home was able to be my safe spot. And my guess is, if you're a parent just like me, is that you're trying to help your, house be a

00:01:25:23 - 00:01:29:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
safe spot. And if you're a youth pastor, my guess is you're trying to help teens

00:01:29:09 - 00:01:30:27
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
navigate this anxiety.

00:01:30:27 - 00:01:35:24
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But if you didn't grow up in this phenomenon of technology and digital, where you're

00:01:35:24 - 00:01:54:03
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
always on, you might not really truly understand what teenagers are going to. That's why if you're a parent, youth pastor, or teenager, I want to toss out five potential tips to help you drive towards a healthier digital lifestyle, and this is specifically aimed towards teenagers.

00:01:54:07 - 00:01:55:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
At the end of this video, I'm going to share

00:01:55:22 - 00:02:15:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
with you my Digital Detox Family Challenge worksheet. The link is down below in the description. It is free for my Patreon community, so thank you if you are a part of that. If not just a few bucks. And in that resource there are two interactive family elements. So if you're a parent or a youth pastor, feel free to grab it and use it.

00:02:15:12 - 00:02:25:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And youth pastor share it with your parents as a resource to help them towards a healthier digital lifestyle for their teenagers. And as always in the hybrid Ministry show,

00:02:25:11 - 00:02:37:21
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
there are chapters down below at the bottom so that you can scrub ahead or back to whatever is most relevant to you. Welcome, my friends, to the Hybrid Ministry Show.

00:02:37:25 - 00:02:40:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Well everyone, welcome to the Hybrid Ministry Show. If you and I

00:02:40:18 - 00:02:55:25
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
haven't had a chance to meet yet, my name is Nick Clayson, and as I said in the intro, I'm a 14 year youth ministry veteran, but I'm also a parent of kids six, and eight years old. So they're in, squarely in that generation Alpha sort of time frame.

00:02:55:25 - 00:02:59:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And I see it on the horizon. I'm not quite there yet,

00:02:59:01 - 00:03:09:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
but I've also navigated it with teenagers and youth ministry, for 14 years, obviously still relevantly, and currently helping teenagers Wade

00:03:09:11 - 00:03:10:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
through and navigate

00:03:10:04 - 00:03:10:25
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
through this

00:03:10:25 - 00:03:30:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
digital sort of tension. And so I think that's the biggest thing, right? Is this tension between should we completely abdicate digital or should we teach them how to how to handle it with integrity and with a hygiene that makes sense, and that's going to actually help them as they enter into this world of adulthood and more responsibility.

00:03:30:10 - 00:03:48:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
You see, as older generation like myself and even people older than us, a lot of times the mentality is like, your phone is the enemy, just get rid of it, throw it in the lake, throw it in the river and be that as it may, and that might even be the case. Like it might not even it might be something that's dangerous and bad and not helpful to you.

00:03:48:11 - 00:04:07:07
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Right. We they're not going anywhere. That's the hard thing is cell phones and technology. It's not going anywhere. The dial is only getting cranked up more and more and more. And so we're constantly living in this tension of what we want. Like, do we want to be Laura Ingalls Wilder and living out on the prairie versus like, being someone fully immersed in tech,

00:04:07:07 - 00:04:09:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
but knowing like, that's probably not good for us.

00:04:09:16 - 00:04:13:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And we can also see and know the effects of it. And you got to remember, tech is

00:04:13:06 - 00:04:29:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
still in its infancy in a lot of ways. And so some of these long term effects brain and and anxiety and mental health, like we don't even know what or how much or if any of it affects us. And so here are five tips to help you and your family navigate through detoxing,

00:04:29:28 - 00:04:32:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
digital and finding balance in this quote.

00:04:32:14 - 00:04:34:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Always on world. Tip

00:04:34:18 - 00:04:34:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
one

00:04:34:28 - 00:04:42:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
is potentially consider setting app time limits. You know I've done this in the past. I don't currently have them set

00:04:42:28 - 00:04:58:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
on on my phone. And honestly, the reason behind that is because I'm I'm lazy, right? And I'm not practicing what I'm preaching. But in the past I have set app limitations for things like social media apps that I might scroll more endlessly on.

00:04:58:02 - 00:05:00:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And here's what you got to understand in my current role

00:05:00:12 - 00:05:20:07
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
and job. Like one of my main and primary responsibilities is social media management, content creation and content posting. And so it's made it tricky for me because I can't just say I'm never going to be on Instagram, I'm never going to be on YouTube, or I'm never going to be on TikTok, because that's a key component of our youth ministry strategy.

00:05:20:07 - 00:05:24:29
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so I'd put like a 15 minute or 30 minute time limit on those apps

00:05:24:29 - 00:05:39:19
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
so that I could get on. So that I could post so that I could engage with comments, with anyone who's maybe interacted with our content. But then when that 30 minute or 15 minute time limit came to an end on any one of those apps, that would be it for the

00:05:39:19 - 00:05:39:24
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
day.

00:05:39:29 - 00:05:57:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Now, of course, my phone offers me right, like more opportunities to, like add more time, add more time. And so like, I would just kind of do that mindlessly and until eventually to the point where I just like would turn it off because I was on vacation or something. And then of course, I haven't gone back, you know, to turn those things back on.

00:05:57:22 - 00:06:25:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But consider that potentially for your, your teen or your tween or, whoever in your house might be, trying to navigate this balance between work and life and social and digital and screens and all of these things. And, linked right here is actually my review of the best parenting apps for 2025 and beyond. And so it's, conversation between, the Bach phone or a plus Circle by Disney or Covenant Eyes.

00:06:25:21 - 00:06:50:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
All three have very different kind of approaches to parental controls and stuff like that, but all three are useful and helpful and beneficial. I give my honest youth pastor take and review, but, feel free to go against my opinion on that. Do whatever works best for you and for your family, but maybe consider setting time limits as a way to help balance this always on world.

00:06:50:22 - 00:06:58:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Tip number two is what if you turned your phone on to grayscale mode, right? There's a feature. My wife and I

00:06:58:20 - 00:07:13:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
both did it. And we turned our phones onto grayscale mode, and it was honestly disorienting. And what it does is it's meant to sort of help reduce, sort of those brain chemicals that cause you to be more addicted to your screen.

00:07:14:01 - 00:07:16:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so when you're on it, it's like,

00:07:16:14 - 00:07:41:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
you don't like it. Like I remember just absolutely hating it. And I hated looking at my phone. I hate doing all these things. But like, it was helpful because, time limits are force restrictions. Grayscale mode turns down the desire to just continue to be on my phone and continue to be on there mindlessly scrolling, mindlessly scrolling endlessly like it made me want to actually get off of it.

00:07:41:04 - 00:08:06:13
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So consider that as an option. Turn on grayscale mode on your phone. Tip number three as a family, what if you created screen free meals? What if once a day you as a family, committed to the discipline of having screen free meals? What if maybe maybe meals don't work? What if you chose, and reclaim some of your time as a family to have a one phone free time per day?

00:08:06:16 - 00:08:10:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Maybe that feels daunting and impossible. Then maybe just start at one phone

00:08:10:22 - 00:08:27:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
free time per week where everybody, including the parents, puts their phones away and you engage in one on 1 or 1 on many human discussion at the dinner table, or a family outing, or a family movie night or something like that, where you are phone free, free from distractions.

00:08:27:28 - 00:08:55:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
You're you're doing something together and reengaging relationally as a family. And you can even, you know, buy something linked down below, like a phone locker or a phone jail where everyone's phones go in, you know, for a set amount of time, and it doesn't open up until it's over and, you know, emergencies or whatnot. Like if you do it for an hour, even if there is an emergency within that hour, your phone will still tell you at the end of that hour and you'll be able to, you know, handle it as you need to.

00:08:55:14 - 00:08:59:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But it would be a good discipline for you and your family to try,

00:08:59:22 - 00:09:05:24
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
dialing it up even, a little bit more of a notch from screen free meals. What if you considered a

00:09:05:24 - 00:09:06:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
digital

00:09:06:15 - 00:09:14:07
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Sabbath? New Sabbath is an Old Testament term and word for taking a break, you know? So, like in the Rhythm of creation,

00:09:14:07 - 00:09:16:19
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
you look at, the biblical account of creation.

00:09:16:19 - 00:09:35:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
God, created the earth in six days. But then on the seventh day, he rested. And you and I, like those of us who go to church like we know that God didn't need rest, right? Like God, God modeled that for Adam and Eve, and it's it's interesting if you think about it. God created man and woman on the sixth day, and then the seventh day he rested.

00:09:35:20 - 00:09:57:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so Adam and Eve's very first day of being created and being on this earth, they also two not only saw God rest, but they were experiencing that that version of Sabbath. And so what if with your phones, what if with technology, what if you created a quote, digital Sabbath of sorts, perhaps, like on a Saturday or Sunday or like a Friday night to a Saturday afternoon?

00:09:57:16 - 00:10:17:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Like it doesn't have to be one full day. It could be like after work in school on, like a Friday. And then it goes to like a certain time on Saturday, where again, you as a family, maybe throw your phone in one of those boxes and you commit to not, you know, to not being on devices, not being on screens for a certain period of time.

00:10:17:26 - 00:10:35:17
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And then the fifth and final tip that I have for you here, to to engage in a healthier balance of an always on world is what if you just chose to charge your phone, not in your bedroom? I say charge your phone in your kitchen. First of all, you know, you need to know those emfs coming off your phone like they're

00:10:35:17 - 00:10:36:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
bad for you.

00:10:36:02 - 00:10:56:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
It literally says it in the terms and conditions on your phone, so don't be right next to it while it's charging. Put it somewhere else, not only for your physical health, but also for your mental health, so that when you're in bed, you're in bed, maybe read, maybe, you know, actually go to sleep, but don't find yourself in there doomscrolling.

00:10:56:22 - 00:11:15:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But consider that as an option or discipline. Parents included kids as well, but keep those things out of rooms. Now just say again 14 year youth ministry veteran. Like, one of the things I've found, especially for teenagers, is gotta get those phones out of their rooms, behind closed doors, and in those privacy private moments. That's where a lot of like, bad decisions might happen.

00:11:15:29 - 00:11:32:13
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
You know, like at summer camp for us, we collect everyone's phone and we charge it in a central spot in the room. They have access to it if their parents call whatever alarms. But we take them from them because we've found that it lights out when kids have phones. That's when shenanigans often happen. And so we take that away.

00:11:32:19 - 00:11:55:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And that's just that's just a rule, right? Like we don't confiscate phones for the whole week, but we do collect them and house them, so to speak, and like a cell phone collection location in order to help with behavior, to help with sleep, to help with a lot of different things. And so what if, as the fifth tip, that was something that you and your family committed to charging your phone away from the bedroom.

00:11:55:10 - 00:12:16:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So you might be thinking like, well, now what do I do? Great. I'm glad you asked. Like I said at the beginning, I have, link down below the Digital Detox Family Challenge worksheet. You can go grab that. It's over on my Patreon is $3, but if you want to become a Patreon for $4 a month, you will not only get every one of these resources that I'm giving away over on that site, but you'll also

00:12:16:15 - 00:12:18:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
get a weekly bonus

00:12:18:10 - 00:12:18:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
podcast.

00:12:18:20 - 00:12:19:29
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And if you're in youth ministry,

00:12:19:29 - 00:12:29:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I'm just talking through what I do every week, and I'm giving creative ideas to help you lean into digital, but also handle it with care and integrity and dignity. And so

00:12:29:14 - 00:12:51:26
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
there's a couple of discussion prompts for families and a couple of action steps. And so I would say if you're in youth ministry, this would be a very well, spent $3 to share out in an email newsletter to parents to just encourage them, you know, to try, digital detox with their family, to work through and think through three or, I'm sorry, five different sort of tips to help them in their families.

00:12:51:26 - 00:12:56:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So, link here on screen is the next video in this series, called

00:12:56:18 - 00:13:11:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
scroll with Purpose teaching teens to use phones wisely in this digital age and in this digital world. I'd love to have you check that out. If you're here on YouTube, give us a like a rating, a subscribe. All those things really, truly help us out to be found in search.

00:13:11:26 - 00:13:17:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But until next time. And as always, my friends, I just want to encourage you to stay hybrid.

]]> 🎧 Become a “Hybrid Hero”
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📥Digital Detox Family Worksheet
https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry/shop/digital-detox-family-worksheet-763860?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=productshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

DESCRIPTION
Life today feels like it’s always "on," and teenagers are growing up in a world where there’s no escape from the constant digital noise—even at home. Inspired by Winston Churchill’s midday naps to reset his mental balance, this episode of the Hybrid Ministry Show explores how we can help teens—and ourselves—find moments of rest in an always-connected world. As a youth pastor with 14 years of experience, I’ve seen how the challenges of this generation differ from my own. In this video, I’ll share 5 practical tips for a healthier digital lifestyle, from screen-free meals to digital sabbaths. Plus, I’ll introduce the Digital Detox Family Challenge—a [free to Patrons] worksheet to help families reclaim their time and focus. Whether you’re a parent, teen, or youth pastor, join me for practical tools to build healthier habits.

📓 SHOWNOTES
http://www.hybridministry.xyz/132

//Churchill Article
https://fullfocus.co/naps/

//Bark & Aura+Disney vs. Covenant Eyes: An Honest Youth Pastor Review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWYvsn2Kglk&t=160s

//Family Phone Lock Box
https://walmrt.us/3ZrChfI

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⌚TIMECODES
00:00 Rest for the Soul in an "Always On" World
02:37 The Technology Tension
04:34 Tip #1
06:50 Tip #2
07:45 Tip #3
08:59 Tip #4
10:17 Tip #5
11:57 Digital Detox Worksheet

--------------
TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:00:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Does

00:00:00:10 - 00:00:03:08
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
it feel like in life that you're just

00:00:03:08 - 00:00:07:27
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
always on? Like there's no break, there's no reprieve?

00:00:07:27 - 00:00:10:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Did you know, ironically,

00:00:10:06 - 00:00:21:19
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Winston Churchill, who was prime minister of Great Britain during World War One, fighting in at that time the world's greatest and biggest war, said this right. He regarded

00:00:21:19 - 00:00:33:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
his midday naps as, quote, essential for maintaining his mental balance, renewing his energy and reviving his

00:00:33:14 - 00:00:36:25
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
spirits as a youth pastor for 14 years.

00:00:36:26 - 00:00:44:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
One thing that I've found that's unique about this generation of teenagers is that the cell phone has ushered in an era

00:00:44:10 - 00:00:48:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
where they never are able to turn it off.

00:00:48:15 - 00:01:05:25
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
The drama follows them home. Conversations with friends follows them home through group chats and Snapchat. And if they're not a part of it, then the tension or the fact that they're missing out might also be causing anxiety because while you as a parent may be taking their phone away from them, they

00:01:05:25 - 00:01:11:27
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
don't know what someone else might be saying about them or what other drama they are going to be missing out on.

00:01:12:03 - 00:01:25:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
When I was a kid, that wasn't an option. I was. I was able to go home, and home was able to be my safe spot. And my guess is, if you're a parent just like me, is that you're trying to help your, house be a

00:01:25:23 - 00:01:29:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
safe spot. And if you're a youth pastor, my guess is you're trying to help teens

00:01:29:09 - 00:01:30:27
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
navigate this anxiety.

00:01:30:27 - 00:01:35:24
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But if you didn't grow up in this phenomenon of technology and digital, where you're

00:01:35:24 - 00:01:54:03
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
always on, you might not really truly understand what teenagers are going to. That's why if you're a parent, youth pastor, or teenager, I want to toss out five potential tips to help you drive towards a healthier digital lifestyle, and this is specifically aimed towards teenagers.

00:01:54:07 - 00:01:55:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
At the end of this video, I'm going to share

00:01:55:22 - 00:02:15:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
with you my Digital Detox Family Challenge worksheet. The link is down below in the description. It is free for my Patreon community, so thank you if you are a part of that. If not just a few bucks. And in that resource there are two interactive family elements. So if you're a parent or a youth pastor, feel free to grab it and use it.

00:02:15:12 - 00:02:25:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And youth pastor share it with your parents as a resource to help them towards a healthier digital lifestyle for their teenagers. And as always in the hybrid Ministry show,

00:02:25:11 - 00:02:37:21
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
there are chapters down below at the bottom so that you can scrub ahead or back to whatever is most relevant to you. Welcome, my friends, to the Hybrid Ministry Show.

00:02:37:25 - 00:02:40:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Well everyone, welcome to the Hybrid Ministry Show. If you and I

00:02:40:18 - 00:02:55:25
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
haven't had a chance to meet yet, my name is Nick Clayson, and as I said in the intro, I'm a 14 year youth ministry veteran, but I'm also a parent of kids six, and eight years old. So they're in, squarely in that generation Alpha sort of time frame.

00:02:55:25 - 00:02:59:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And I see it on the horizon. I'm not quite there yet,

00:02:59:01 - 00:03:09:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
but I've also navigated it with teenagers and youth ministry, for 14 years, obviously still relevantly, and currently helping teenagers Wade

00:03:09:11 - 00:03:10:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
through and navigate

00:03:10:04 - 00:03:10:25
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
through this

00:03:10:25 - 00:03:30:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
digital sort of tension. And so I think that's the biggest thing, right? Is this tension between should we completely abdicate digital or should we teach them how to how to handle it with integrity and with a hygiene that makes sense, and that's going to actually help them as they enter into this world of adulthood and more responsibility.

00:03:30:10 - 00:03:48:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
You see, as older generation like myself and even people older than us, a lot of times the mentality is like, your phone is the enemy, just get rid of it, throw it in the lake, throw it in the river and be that as it may, and that might even be the case. Like it might not even it might be something that's dangerous and bad and not helpful to you.

00:03:48:11 - 00:04:07:07
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Right. We they're not going anywhere. That's the hard thing is cell phones and technology. It's not going anywhere. The dial is only getting cranked up more and more and more. And so we're constantly living in this tension of what we want. Like, do we want to be Laura Ingalls Wilder and living out on the prairie versus like, being someone fully immersed in tech,

00:04:07:07 - 00:04:09:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
but knowing like, that's probably not good for us.

00:04:09:16 - 00:04:13:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And we can also see and know the effects of it. And you got to remember, tech is

00:04:13:06 - 00:04:29:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
still in its infancy in a lot of ways. And so some of these long term effects brain and and anxiety and mental health, like we don't even know what or how much or if any of it affects us. And so here are five tips to help you and your family navigate through detoxing,

00:04:29:28 - 00:04:32:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
digital and finding balance in this quote.

00:04:32:14 - 00:04:34:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Always on world. Tip

00:04:34:18 - 00:04:34:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
one

00:04:34:28 - 00:04:42:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
is potentially consider setting app time limits. You know I've done this in the past. I don't currently have them set

00:04:42:28 - 00:04:58:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
on on my phone. And honestly, the reason behind that is because I'm I'm lazy, right? And I'm not practicing what I'm preaching. But in the past I have set app limitations for things like social media apps that I might scroll more endlessly on.

00:04:58:02 - 00:05:00:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And here's what you got to understand in my current role

00:05:00:12 - 00:05:20:07
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
and job. Like one of my main and primary responsibilities is social media management, content creation and content posting. And so it's made it tricky for me because I can't just say I'm never going to be on Instagram, I'm never going to be on YouTube, or I'm never going to be on TikTok, because that's a key component of our youth ministry strategy.

00:05:20:07 - 00:05:24:29
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so I'd put like a 15 minute or 30 minute time limit on those apps

00:05:24:29 - 00:05:39:19
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
so that I could get on. So that I could post so that I could engage with comments, with anyone who's maybe interacted with our content. But then when that 30 minute or 15 minute time limit came to an end on any one of those apps, that would be it for the

00:05:39:19 - 00:05:39:24
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
day.

00:05:39:29 - 00:05:57:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Now, of course, my phone offers me right, like more opportunities to, like add more time, add more time. And so like, I would just kind of do that mindlessly and until eventually to the point where I just like would turn it off because I was on vacation or something. And then of course, I haven't gone back, you know, to turn those things back on.

00:05:57:22 - 00:06:25:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But consider that potentially for your, your teen or your tween or, whoever in your house might be, trying to navigate this balance between work and life and social and digital and screens and all of these things. And, linked right here is actually my review of the best parenting apps for 2025 and beyond. And so it's, conversation between, the Bach phone or a plus Circle by Disney or Covenant Eyes.

00:06:25:21 - 00:06:50:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
All three have very different kind of approaches to parental controls and stuff like that, but all three are useful and helpful and beneficial. I give my honest youth pastor take and review, but, feel free to go against my opinion on that. Do whatever works best for you and for your family, but maybe consider setting time limits as a way to help balance this always on world.

00:06:50:22 - 00:06:58:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Tip number two is what if you turned your phone on to grayscale mode, right? There's a feature. My wife and I

00:06:58:20 - 00:07:13:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
both did it. And we turned our phones onto grayscale mode, and it was honestly disorienting. And what it does is it's meant to sort of help reduce, sort of those brain chemicals that cause you to be more addicted to your screen.

00:07:14:01 - 00:07:16:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so when you're on it, it's like,

00:07:16:14 - 00:07:41:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
you don't like it. Like I remember just absolutely hating it. And I hated looking at my phone. I hate doing all these things. But like, it was helpful because, time limits are force restrictions. Grayscale mode turns down the desire to just continue to be on my phone and continue to be on there mindlessly scrolling, mindlessly scrolling endlessly like it made me want to actually get off of it.

00:07:41:04 - 00:08:06:13
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So consider that as an option. Turn on grayscale mode on your phone. Tip number three as a family, what if you created screen free meals? What if once a day you as a family, committed to the discipline of having screen free meals? What if maybe maybe meals don't work? What if you chose, and reclaim some of your time as a family to have a one phone free time per day?

00:08:06:16 - 00:08:10:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Maybe that feels daunting and impossible. Then maybe just start at one phone

00:08:10:22 - 00:08:27:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
free time per week where everybody, including the parents, puts their phones away and you engage in one on 1 or 1 on many human discussion at the dinner table, or a family outing, or a family movie night or something like that, where you are phone free, free from distractions.

00:08:27:28 - 00:08:55:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
You're you're doing something together and reengaging relationally as a family. And you can even, you know, buy something linked down below, like a phone locker or a phone jail where everyone's phones go in, you know, for a set amount of time, and it doesn't open up until it's over and, you know, emergencies or whatnot. Like if you do it for an hour, even if there is an emergency within that hour, your phone will still tell you at the end of that hour and you'll be able to, you know, handle it as you need to.

00:08:55:14 - 00:08:59:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But it would be a good discipline for you and your family to try,

00:08:59:22 - 00:09:05:24
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
dialing it up even, a little bit more of a notch from screen free meals. What if you considered a

00:09:05:24 - 00:09:06:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
digital

00:09:06:15 - 00:09:14:07
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Sabbath? New Sabbath is an Old Testament term and word for taking a break, you know? So, like in the Rhythm of creation,

00:09:14:07 - 00:09:16:19
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
you look at, the biblical account of creation.

00:09:16:19 - 00:09:35:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
God, created the earth in six days. But then on the seventh day, he rested. And you and I, like those of us who go to church like we know that God didn't need rest, right? Like God, God modeled that for Adam and Eve, and it's it's interesting if you think about it. God created man and woman on the sixth day, and then the seventh day he rested.

00:09:35:20 - 00:09:57:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so Adam and Eve's very first day of being created and being on this earth, they also two not only saw God rest, but they were experiencing that that version of Sabbath. And so what if with your phones, what if with technology, what if you created a quote, digital Sabbath of sorts, perhaps, like on a Saturday or Sunday or like a Friday night to a Saturday afternoon?

00:09:57:16 - 00:10:17:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Like it doesn't have to be one full day. It could be like after work in school on, like a Friday. And then it goes to like a certain time on Saturday, where again, you as a family, maybe throw your phone in one of those boxes and you commit to not, you know, to not being on devices, not being on screens for a certain period of time.

00:10:17:26 - 00:10:35:17
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And then the fifth and final tip that I have for you here, to to engage in a healthier balance of an always on world is what if you just chose to charge your phone, not in your bedroom? I say charge your phone in your kitchen. First of all, you know, you need to know those emfs coming off your phone like they're

00:10:35:17 - 00:10:36:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
bad for you.

00:10:36:02 - 00:10:56:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
It literally says it in the terms and conditions on your phone, so don't be right next to it while it's charging. Put it somewhere else, not only for your physical health, but also for your mental health, so that when you're in bed, you're in bed, maybe read, maybe, you know, actually go to sleep, but don't find yourself in there doomscrolling.

00:10:56:22 - 00:11:15:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But consider that as an option or discipline. Parents included kids as well, but keep those things out of rooms. Now just say again 14 year youth ministry veteran. Like, one of the things I've found, especially for teenagers, is gotta get those phones out of their rooms, behind closed doors, and in those privacy private moments. That's where a lot of like, bad decisions might happen.

00:11:15:29 - 00:11:32:13
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
You know, like at summer camp for us, we collect everyone's phone and we charge it in a central spot in the room. They have access to it if their parents call whatever alarms. But we take them from them because we've found that it lights out when kids have phones. That's when shenanigans often happen. And so we take that away.

00:11:32:19 - 00:11:55:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And that's just that's just a rule, right? Like we don't confiscate phones for the whole week, but we do collect them and house them, so to speak, and like a cell phone collection location in order to help with behavior, to help with sleep, to help with a lot of different things. And so what if, as the fifth tip, that was something that you and your family committed to charging your phone away from the bedroom.

00:11:55:10 - 00:12:16:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So you might be thinking like, well, now what do I do? Great. I'm glad you asked. Like I said at the beginning, I have, link down below the Digital Detox Family Challenge worksheet. You can go grab that. It's over on my Patreon is $3, but if you want to become a Patreon for $4 a month, you will not only get every one of these resources that I'm giving away over on that site, but you'll also

00:12:16:15 - 00:12:18:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
get a weekly bonus

00:12:18:10 - 00:12:18:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
podcast.

00:12:18:20 - 00:12:19:29
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And if you're in youth ministry,

00:12:19:29 - 00:12:29:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I'm just talking through what I do every week, and I'm giving creative ideas to help you lean into digital, but also handle it with care and integrity and dignity. And so

00:12:29:14 - 00:12:51:26
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
there's a couple of discussion prompts for families and a couple of action steps. And so I would say if you're in youth ministry, this would be a very well, spent $3 to share out in an email newsletter to parents to just encourage them, you know, to try, digital detox with their family, to work through and think through three or, I'm sorry, five different sort of tips to help them in their families.

00:12:51:26 - 00:12:56:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So, link here on screen is the next video in this series, called

00:12:56:18 - 00:13:11:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
scroll with Purpose teaching teens to use phones wisely in this digital age and in this digital world. I'd love to have you check that out. If you're here on YouTube, give us a like a rating, a subscribe. All those things really, truly help us out to be found in search.

00:13:11:26 - 00:13:17:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But until next time. And as always, my friends, I just want to encourage you to stay hybrid.

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