Social Media Pressure helps show why social media can leave you feeling sad, anxious, and depressed and points to practical ways of turning to Jesus for rest and wholeness.
Statistics show that we (especially teens) spend most of our waking hours on screens, without a lot of direction on managing our online life. In this devotional, John Perritt, a longtime youth pastor, will guide you in making sure that your relationship with God remains at the center of your life without letting your phone take over.
The devotionals address social media pressures including the fear of missing out, comparing yourself with others, being bullied, and even being addicted. They will help you interact with social media in a way that is sensible, smart, and even biblical, while at the same time finding the peace that comes with walking alongside Jesus.
Social Media Pressure is the second book in the Devotions for Teenagers series.
"My goodness, this book is important! What John accomplishes here is so vital not only for the young but for all of us. Here is a word of peace over the chaos of social media. And boy do we need it. This is a much-needed book in a world that is fragmenting."
A.J. Swoboda, Associate professor of Bible, Theology, and World Christianity, Bushnell University; author of After Doubt and Subversive Sabbath
"I write about Christians and our relationship with social media, and I have to say this book handles the topic of social media and youth very well. But what I love most about this book is John's heart. John cares for students and wants them to thrive in a relationship with Jesus, and that is evident in this book."
Chris Martin, Author of Terms of Service: The Real Cost of Social Media and The Wolf in Their Pocket; content marketing editor, Moody Publishers; social media and communications consultant
"This clear-eyed, compelling, and challenging devotional is perfect for teens or young adults (as well as their parents or youth leaders) who are serious about following Jesus in a digital age. John Perritt leads readers to examine their habits, identify their sin, and begin to interact with social media in a healthy, purposeful way. This would work well for individual devotions but even better as a study for youth groups or campus ministries to do together."
Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra, Senior Writer, The Gospel Coalition; coauthor of Gospelbound: Living with Resolute Hope in an Anxious Age; editor of Social Sanity in an Insta World
"As filmmakers, we are passionate about using storytelling as a teaching medium. When reading Social Media Pressure, we were struck by Perritt's ability to use compelling stories in every chapter of this book to help teens walk through the impact of technology in their lives. This book is an absolute recommend."
Jacob Valk and John-Michael Bout, Directors of the Into the Light documentary
"This little book is a rich and accessible resource for teenagers (and the rest of us) to dig deep into the ways that our use of social media is shaping our view of the world and encourages us to live a life of devotion to God in our digital age. John goes beyond trite platitudes of merely reining in screen time and helps to expose the motivations that drive our sometimes-compulsive use of our phones. It is full of both biblical truth and practical wisdom with engaging questions and ample space for honest reflection."
Jason Thacker, Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Ethics, Boyce College, Louisville, KY; author of Following Jesus in a Digital Age and A Student's Guide to Social Media
"Social Media Pressure is convicting and practical. Perritt opens God's Word for teens (and adults!) and shows us what social media habits teach about our hearts. I love the practice sections in each devotional that give wise counsel for building new smartphone habits."
Jared Kennedy, Editor, The Gospel Coalition; author of The Beginner's Gospel Story Bible and Keeping Your Children's Ministry on Mission
"Complicated relationship with your phone? John gets it. Here he welcomes us to a safe place to ponder it with Jesus. His stories help us feel seen, and the Scripture passages and songs help us feel known by our Creator. The simple, creative experiments invite us to try something new each week toward healing our phone anxieties."
Tasha Chapman, Professor of Educational Ministries, Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis. MO; coauthor of The Politics of Ministry and Resilient Ministry; contributor to the ESV Women's Devotional Bible (Crossway, 2014).
"Social Media Pressure opened my heart and eyes . . . to myself! John Perritt's gentle and encouraging way of applying biblical truth to teens and their social media usage touches on ways that all of our hearts need help. Grab several copies of this practical, street-level devotional, give them away to teens in your life, and keep one for yourself!"
Ellen Mary Dykas, Bible teacher; author of Toxic Relationships: Taking Refuge in Christ
"John Perritt is a wise and biblical guide for students who want to prayerfully evaluate their relationship with their phones in light of their relationship with Christ. This is an especially good family devotional for parents to read with their young teen before handing them a smartphone."
Mike McGarry, Director, Youth Pastor Theologian; author of Discover: Questioning Your Way to Faith, Lead Them to Jesus, and A Biblical Theology of Youth Ministry
"Not many of us doubt our young people (and ourselves!) need to think more carefully about how we engage with social media and how it is (mis)shaping us. John Perritt has written a book for teens that is filled with relatable stories, meaningful Scriptural reflection, and wise application. This book would be great for a youth group to go through together, to foster more intimacy with God and a stronger community of living faith."
Kelly M. Kapic, Author of You're Only Human
"The pressures teens face from social media are immense, often leading to loneliness, discouragement, insecurity, and anxiety. But there is hope. With a compassionate understanding of the hardships of social media and a deep conviction of Christ's kindness and presence, John offers wisdom on navigating social media in a God-honoring way. His book is immensely practical, inviting teens to journey with him and suggesting various practices and habits for wise living in this digital age. And undergirding this, at the heart of Social Media Pressure is the truth that we belong to a God who loves us and is with us every moment."
Aubrynn Whitted, Communications and Marketing, Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF); blogger for scrupulosity/religious OCD at graceaboundinginocd.com
"I love John's heart for students and I've long admired his ability to connect with them and connect them with God. Like many of us though, John sees the dangers of digital connections that undermine our connection with God and one another. That's why I'm so glad he's written this devotional to help the young (and the not-so-young) resist and manage social media pressure in our daily lives."
David Murray, Senior Pastor, First Byron CRC. Author of Jesus on Every Page, Reset, the StoryChanger, and other books
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I've been reading through this devotion. I wanted to see how it was received by the teens in the Sunday School group. The scripture we read through. The story, they listened with interest. When I reached the section on Social media, I initially saw some eye rolls. But that quickly stopped once they realized that this devotion doesn't "preach" at them. It offers real world (i.e. social media) applications for each devotion. For example, the first chapter explores the presence of God and how He's always with us. We need to keep this in mind not just in our physical lives, but also online. Whatever we post online, whatever we search, God is there with us. This devotion also includes a "practice" section to help apply the lesson to our lives. In this chapter, the idea was to put Post-Its where our devices our so we have the reminder of God's presence prior to using our phones, tablets or computers. Eventually, this practice will become second nature. Keep in mind this is meant to be a devotion for a teen, but could easily be applied as a small group Bible study for Middle School to Teens. Even adults (like me) could learn from these lessons.