Billy Graham warns parents: media exposure brings ‘violence, sexual immorality, greed’ to your children
“Raising our children is one of the most important responsibilities God gives us, and neglecting it or leaving it to others can be disastrous,” Graham writes, pointing to Proverbs 22:6, which says: “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”
Graham has previously spoken on the impact entertainment can have on a child’s values, writing in an earlier blog post that “our children are influenced by everything they see and hear, including things that former generations never had available to them.”
The evangelical leader adds that children decide between right and wrong “by what they observe — both in our lives and the lives of others.”
“If they grow up thinking there’s nothing wrong with violence, sexual immorality, greed, or anything else they see in the media, why are we surprised if they adopt those ways of living? The media can be a powerful influence on young people, for good or for ill,” the Baptist minister added, citing Proverbs 23:19 which reads: “Listen, my son, and be wise, and set your heart on the right path.”