Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Alabama's Morning News. I'm Jat and join us now from
Focus on the Family is Brett Eckleberry to talk about
what's going on with technology, the holidays are here, and
our kids and what we're being exposed to these days. Brett,
thanks for being here with me. I appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Hey, Jat, thanks for having me on.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
You know, it seems every day there's more and more
garbage being spewed out there online, and unfortunately it's reaching
our kids. You know, I've got grandchildren now that are
you know, getting close to the age who are a
little be on social media and you know, nine year
olds and you know, she's got her own little phone
right now, but it's highly monitored by mom and dad.
But you know, you can't keep your kids in a bubble,
(00:35):
and they are getting bombarded with more garbage these days
than it ever seems. So, I mean, what do you
think there there's got to be some positive results that
you're seeing from people understanding the adverse effects of technology
and social media. What do you think?
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Yeah, absolutely well, I think that's it. Like one of
the things that I am grateful for. I would say,
with Thanksgiving coming up just in the term in the
realm of technology and entertainment is people are more aware
now days really than ever before, how technology, how social
media can adversely affect them, and that we've seen is
(01:08):
leading to a willingness to adopt better and healthier tech habits.
So that's pretty cool. And this is not just adults
who are becoming more aware of this. Actually, what we've
seen the research has shown that Gen Z is actually
kind of leading the charge. They know that generation really
has been known as kind of the most connected generation.
(01:29):
But because of that, we're starting to see a shift
with some Gen Zers to really push to be a
little more disconnected from social media and technology than they
have been in the past, which is which pretty neat
to see.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Yeah, that is good to see because I think you're right.
They are more exposed. It's like the phones are fused
to their hands. But not just that generation. I think
all the way up to you know, people and boomers
and adults beyond that, the phone has really become something
that's glued there. But I think you're right. The younger
they are, the more anxious they are to get involved
and do things in their own lives, and they're starting
(02:03):
to see. Yeah, this isn't all so good, So let's
go this direction. I think we're seeing an increase in
people going to church. I think we're seeing an increase
in people wanting to do the right thing in their relationships.
Let's talk about relationships real quick, because I think it
had a big detrimental effect with people being isolated, if
you will. COVID didn't help, but social media kind of
takes people away from interacting. I mean, you can go
(02:24):
to a room and sit and watch a movie with
the family and look around the room and five out
of six people have their phones in their hands. So
are there age groups that are kind of making a
difference from getting away from not just social media so much,
but also engaging getting back into engaging.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Yes, And in fact, again it's almost the charges being
led by the younger generation. And you know, it makes
me wonder if we have these younger generations that have
actually grown up seeing maybe their parents be glued to
their phones a little bit, and they're thinking, hey, you know,
there have to be something more here with this connection.
And so we're actually seeing one of the trends that
(03:02):
gen Z and others are kind of leaning into, is
this idea of the dumb phone trend. You know, you
talk about the smartphone, the dumb phone trend of intentionally
going out getting a phone that doesn't have the connectivity
to all these apps that just suck your attention right
when you should be connecting. And that's exactly what we
try to encourage families to do, is find those intentional
(03:23):
times to connect, even if it is watching a movie,
watch the movie together, put down the phones, put away
the phones, and have that interactive time as well. Certainly
away from media, but even when you're doing media together,
that can be a positive experience too.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
You know, when you talk about media too, you've got
Netflix and other networks that you know, spew a lot
of garbage towards, you know, children, And I actually just
canceled Netflix for some of the programming that they're spewing
out there that you know, targets children. And I think
we're all all know what we're talking about here. But
I've also seen such a great growth in Christian programming
(03:58):
and family entertainment entertainment rather like pureflicks and angel studios.
And I think, you know, this is catching fire around
the country, is quality Christian entertainment becomes more widely available
what platforms are you seeing growth in.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Yeah, well, I think you said you have even like
streaming services like Amazon Prime are starting to really lean
into with the success success of The Chosen, they're starting
to lean into more faith based media as well. But
just across the board, we're seeing kind of a proliferation
of quality Christian entertainment, right. I feel like this is
(04:33):
something I'm very excited about. The tide of just overall
quality and Christian media has been rising. And that's not
just movies and TV shows that are available now, but
YouTube channels. We've seen a huge explosion of say like
Christian apologetics, quality Christian apologetics on YouTube where kids are
(04:55):
at to reach people for the Gospel, and I think
that's been that's been incredible. So I think it's just
the across the board. You have a lot of junk
out there, like you said, but with that, we've seen
this real push for faith based entertainment that is a
lot more accessible now than it has been in the past,
which I think is really cool.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
You know, I got to give my daughter some credit.
You know, she was riding around with my granddaughters the
other day. One's nine and one is six, and my
one granddaughter of the nine year old said, mom turned
the Christian music station on. She goes, oh, okay, really
you want to hear that? She goes, yeah, It just
makes me feel better. And I think the more we
expose our kids to the shows and the music that
(05:35):
is in that genre, it can still look and sound
very poppy and very attractive to young people, but the
messaging is so much different and it doesn't have to be,
you know, beating them over the head with a Bible
and say you better follow Jesus or else. I mean,
it's just a heart centered approach to entertainment. I think
more parents have opportunities to find that kind of programming
(05:57):
now than ever.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
I totally agree. Just the idea of that biblical worldview
being infused into music, into shows, movies, all sorts of
things that is really exciting to me and really impactful
as kids say, hey, look, look, I want to listen
to this. I want to listen to Forrest Frank, Right,
I want to watch this YouTube channel from this Christian YouTuber. Right,
(06:22):
Dude Perfect are a huge YouTuber and they're Christian guys
and they talk about their faith. Right. So it's just
an example of how we can see some really Christians
can really put out some really entertaining fun things but
still tie that inextricably to their Christian faith to encourage
not only the next generation but all of us as Christians.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Yeah, and I think a lot of this programming too,
you know, BRED is also it's good feel you know
the American Entertainment Channel that's similar to Hallmark, but it's different.
I think that's the name of it. The Great American
Channel is something that you'll watch the programming and it's
just like, for some reason, I can't put my finger
on it, Mom or Dad, but this kind of show,
(07:05):
this makes me feel good. It's like when you are
asked Christ ask us to be lights in the world
of darkness, and when you go out and you don't
have to beat people up and say, look, let me
tell you about Jesus or even be real direct about it.
Just let them see the light in you and they go,
you know that person's got something. I want some of
that too, And I think this kind of programming, you know,
we'll spur on more questions and conversations about what makes
(07:29):
that better than what I'm used to seeing? Why do
I feel good about that? And I want to know
what this is all about. And boy, the opportunity to
share the gospel there the doors wide open.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Yeah amen, I completely agree. And especially as the world
tends and all of the entertainment, all the things in
the world is putting out tends to trend toward more
cynicism and nihilism, the power of the Christian message and
the power of the Gospel is just going to keep
shining brighter and brighter.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
Brett Eckleberry, Thank you, buddy. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays to
you with focus in the family. I hope you and
your family have a great season.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Well. Thank you JT. I appreciate it.
Alabama's Morning News. I'm Jat and join us now from
Focus on the Family is Brett Eckleberry to talk about
what's going on with technology, the holidays are here, and
our kids and what we're being exposed to these days. Brett,
thanks for being here with me. I appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Hey, Jat, thanks for having me on.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
You know, it seems every day there's more and more
garbage being spewed out there online, and unfortunately it's reaching
our kids. You know, I've got grandchildren now that are
you know, getting close to the age who are a
little be on social media and you know, nine year
olds and you know, she's got her own little phone
right now, but it's highly monitored by mom and dad.
But you know, you can't keep your kids in a bubble,
(00:35):
and they are getting bombarded with more garbage these days
than it ever seems. So, I mean, what do you
think there there's got to be some positive results that
you're seeing from people understanding the adverse effects of technology
and social media. What do you think?
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Yeah, absolutely well, I think that's it. Like one of
the things that I am grateful for. I would say,
with Thanksgiving coming up just in the term in the
realm of technology and entertainment is people are more aware
now days really than ever before, how technology, how social
media can adversely affect them, and that we've seen is
(01:08):
leading to a willingness to adopt better and healthier tech habits.
So that's pretty cool. And this is not just adults
who are becoming more aware of this. Actually, what we've
seen the research has shown that Gen Z is actually
kind of leading the charge. They know that generation really
has been known as kind of the most connected generation.
(01:29):
But because of that, we're starting to see a shift
with some Gen Zers to really push to be a
little more disconnected from social media and technology than they
have been in the past, which is which pretty neat
to see.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Yeah, that is good to see because I think you're right.
They are more exposed. It's like the phones are fused
to their hands. But not just that generation. I think
all the way up to you know, people and boomers
and adults beyond that, the phone has really become something
that's glued there. But I think you're right. The younger
they are, the more anxious they are to get involved
and do things in their own lives, and they're starting
(02:03):
to see. Yeah, this isn't all so good, So let's
go this direction. I think we're seeing an increase in
people going to church. I think we're seeing an increase
in people wanting to do the right thing in their relationships.
Let's talk about relationships real quick, because I think it
had a big detrimental effect with people being isolated, if
you will. COVID didn't help, but social media kind of
takes people away from interacting. I mean, you can go
(02:24):
to a room and sit and watch a movie with
the family and look around the room and five out
of six people have their phones in their hands. So
are there age groups that are kind of making a
difference from getting away from not just social media so much,
but also engaging getting back into engaging.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Yes, And in fact, again it's almost the charges being
led by the younger generation. And you know, it makes
me wonder if we have these younger generations that have
actually grown up seeing maybe their parents be glued to
their phones a little bit, and they're thinking, hey, you know,
there have to be something more here with this connection.
And so we're actually seeing one of the trends that
(03:02):
gen Z and others are kind of leaning into, is
this idea of the dumb phone trend. You know, you
talk about the smartphone, the dumb phone trend of intentionally
going out getting a phone that doesn't have the connectivity
to all these apps that just suck your attention right
when you should be connecting. And that's exactly what we
try to encourage families to do, is find those intentional
(03:23):
times to connect, even if it is watching a movie,
watch the movie together, put down the phones, put away
the phones, and have that interactive time as well. Certainly
away from media, but even when you're doing media together,
that can be a positive experience too.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
You know, when you talk about media too, you've got
Netflix and other networks that you know, spew a lot
of garbage towards, you know, children, And I actually just
canceled Netflix for some of the programming that they're spewing
out there that you know, targets children. And I think
we're all all know what we're talking about here. But
I've also seen such a great growth in Christian programming
(03:58):
and family entertainment entertainment rather like pureflicks and angel studios.
And I think, you know, this is catching fire around
the country, is quality Christian entertainment becomes more widely available
what platforms are you seeing growth in.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Yeah, well, I think you said you have even like
streaming services like Amazon Prime are starting to really lean
into with the success success of The Chosen, they're starting
to lean into more faith based media as well. But
just across the board, we're seeing kind of a proliferation
of quality Christian entertainment, right. I feel like this is
(04:33):
something I'm very excited about. The tide of just overall
quality and Christian media has been rising. And that's not
just movies and TV shows that are available now, but
YouTube channels. We've seen a huge explosion of say like
Christian apologetics, quality Christian apologetics on YouTube where kids are
(04:55):
at to reach people for the Gospel, and I think
that's been that's been incredible. So I think it's just
the across the board. You have a lot of junk
out there, like you said, but with that, we've seen
this real push for faith based entertainment that is a
lot more accessible now than it has been in the past,
which I think is really cool.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
You know, I got to give my daughter some credit.
You know, she was riding around with my granddaughters the
other day. One's nine and one is six, and my
one granddaughter of the nine year old said, mom turned
the Christian music station on. She goes, oh, okay, really
you want to hear that? She goes, yeah, It just
makes me feel better. And I think the more we
expose our kids to the shows and the music that
(05:35):
is in that genre, it can still look and sound
very poppy and very attractive to young people, but the
messaging is so much different and it doesn't have to be,
you know, beating them over the head with a Bible
and say you better follow Jesus or else. I mean,
it's just a heart centered approach to entertainment. I think
more parents have opportunities to find that kind of programming
(05:57):
now than ever.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
I totally agree. Just the idea of that biblical worldview
being infused into music, into shows, movies, all sorts of
things that is really exciting to me and really impactful
as kids say, hey, look, look, I want to listen
to this. I want to listen to Forrest Frank, Right,
I want to watch this YouTube channel from this Christian YouTuber. Right,
(06:22):
Dude Perfect are a huge YouTuber and they're Christian guys
and they talk about their faith. Right. So it's just
an example of how we can see some really Christians
can really put out some really entertaining fun things but
still tie that inextricably to their Christian faith to encourage
not only the next generation but all of us as Christians.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Yeah, and I think a lot of this programming too,
you know, BRED is also it's good feel you know
the American Entertainment Channel that's similar to Hallmark, but it's different.
I think that's the name of it. The Great American
Channel is something that you'll watch the programming and it's
just like, for some reason, I can't put my finger
on it, Mom or Dad, but this kind of show,
(07:05):
this makes me feel good. It's like when you are
asked Christ ask us to be lights in the world
of darkness, and when you go out and you don't
have to beat people up and say, look, let me
tell you about Jesus or even be real direct about it.
Just let them see the light in you and they go,
you know that person's got something. I want some of
that too, And I think this kind of programming, you know,
we'll spur on more questions and conversations about what makes
(07:29):
that better than what I'm used to seeing? Why do
I feel good about that? And I want to know
what this is all about. And boy, the opportunity to
share the gospel there the doors wide open.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Yeah amen, I completely agree. And especially as the world
tends and all of the entertainment, all the things in
the world is putting out tends to trend toward more
cynicism and nihilism, the power of the Christian message and
the power of the Gospel is just going to keep
shining brighter and brighter.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
Brett Eckleberry, Thank you, buddy. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays to
you with focus in the family. I hope you and
your family have a great season.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Well. Thank you JT. I appreciate it.
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