What Our Kids Watch Is Shaping Their Souls
Let’s not sugarcoat it: the TV shows, YouTube channels, TikToks, and movies we allow our kids to watch absolutely matter. This isn’t some fringe issue or overreaction. It’s not just about avoiding a few bad words or shielding them from scary images. It’s about recognizing the enormous spiritual, emotional, and psychological influence that media has on the hearts and minds of our children—and us.
What we consume, along with what our children consume through media, has the power to shape minds, change behaviors, and even distort the truth about life, love, identity, and God. Yet, many Christian parents—devoted to God, following Jesus, and regularly attending church—are unknowingly entrusting the spiritual development of their children to Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, and TikTok, without a second thought.
Yes, it matters. It matters more than we think.
Jesus said it plainly in Luke 6:45, “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart…for the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”
What does this mean? Ultimately, what you put in will come out. Garbage in, garbage out.
And in our culture today, the media is going in at an alarming rate.
According to Common Sense Media, the average child in the U.S. spends nearly five hours a day consuming screen media, and that number only increases with age. Think about that: five hours of input from sources that, more often than not, do not share your faith, your values, or your moral compass. Instead, many of these shows and videos normalize rebellion, sexual immorality, gender confusion, disrespect, violence, and the mocking of godly authority. They present sin as entertainment and godlessness as normal.
Some of us wouldn’t dream of letting our kids spend five minutes alone with a stranger who didn’t share our values—yet we hand them a screen and allow them to watch unsupervised for hours.
Paul warned us in Romans 12:2: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
You cannot renew your mind in Christ while constantly filling it with filth. You cannot raise holy, grounded children while letting the world catechize them through cartoons and trending videos.
We’re raising a generation that knows every line from a Marvel movie or Disney song but can’t recite the Lord’s Prayer or name the Ten Commandments. Meanwhile, as we are busy, distracted, or thinking, “it’s not that deep,” the enemy is sowing confusion and compromise through what they watch.
It’s Not Just Entertainment—It’s Discipleship in Disguise
Research supports this. Studies from the American Academy of Pediatrics have shown that exposure to violent or inappropriate media content correlates with increases in aggressive behavior, desensitization to violence, earlier sexual activity, and higher levels of anxiety and depression. Media teaches our children what to admire, what to laugh at, what to aspire to, and what to believe about themselves and the world.
And here’s the truly dangerous part: much of the spiritual decay doesn’t happen through a single shocking episode or one offensive scene. It unfolds through slow, steady conditioning. The normalization of behaviors and relationships outlined in the Bible as ungodly in nearly every children’s storyline, the subtle jabs at dads, and the portrayal of moms as either clueless or controlling. The way disrespect toward authority is framed as humor, and rebellion is promoted as bravery. The confusion of gender identity is presented not as just a choice, but as a right, and anyone who questions it is deemed hateful.
It doesn’t hit all at once. It seeps in. Quietly. Over time.
We aren't losing the next generation merely because they stopped going to church; we’re losing them because they never genuinely knew God in the first place—someone else has been shaping their worldview while we weren’t paying attention.
Why Media Choices Matter for You and Your Kids
We must watch what they watch. Period. That’s our job. We are the gatekeepers of our home. That’s not being overprotective—that’s being a parent. A shepherd. A steward of the hearts God has entrusted to us.
Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
But how can we train them in righteousness if their daily diet is filled with unrighteousness? How can we expect them to love God with all their hearts while we let them binge-watch shows that mock Him?
We must be intentional.
We can’t control everything our kids will see or hear, but we can set a tone. We can say, “In this house, we don’t watch shows that glorify sin.” We can use tools like VidAngel or ClearPlay to filter content. We can replace trash with treasure—there are wholesome, faith-affirming TV shows and movies available. Most importantly, we can lead by example.
Because here’s the truth we often avoid discussing: this isn’t just about the kids; it’s about us, too!
What we feed our own hearts shapes our moods, our marriages, our mindsets, and our spiritual clarity. You can’t watch trash all week and expect to feel spiritually strong on Sunday. That’s not how it works. You can’t spend hours laughing at sin, lusting after characters, or tuning out with meaningless entertainment—and then expect your prayer life to be powerful or your spiritual discernment to be sharp.
Paul tells us in Philippians 4:8: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things.”
If that’s what we’re called to think on, then that’s what we should be watching, listening to, and exposing our families to.
The Bible says Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). Don’t think for a second that he won’t use a “cute” cartoon or a “funny” sitcom to plant lies, stir rebellion, or sow seeds of confusion in your home.
How to Guard Your Home, Guide Your Kids, and Glorify God Through Media
Let’s stop surrendering our kids’ minds to the culture.
Let’s stop giving the enemy a seat at the table through our TVs, tablets, and phones.
We are in a battle for the hearts of the next generation—and media is one of the enemy’s most potent weapons. However, it doesn’t have to be. With wisdom, discernment, and conviction, we can reclaim our homes as places of holiness and truth.
Start today. Sit down with your kids and ask them what they’re watching. Enjoy it together. Ask them questions and discuss it. Teach them how to discern what aligns with God’s Word and what does not. At first, they may seem standoffish and confused, but that’s okay. Be clever. Stay the course; you are the parent.
And then, model it. Let your own media choices reflect your values, not your cravings. Let your home be a place where truth is honored, righteousness is celebrated, and God is not mocked—but glorified.
Because yes—it absolutely matters.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Gaelle Marcel
Cynthia Garrett broke barriers when she became the first African American woman in the U.S. to host a network late-night show, NBC’s Later with Cynthia Garrett. She is currently seen on TBN and Salem Media networks, as well as on Fox News and other news outlets, addressing cultural issues and today’s news. The Cynthia Garrett Podcasts premiere weekly on all major podcast platforms.
A highly sought-after speaker, author, TV host, and ordained minister, Garrett is the author of The Naked Truth: Reclaiming Sexual Freedom in a Culture of Lies (2024), I Choose Victory: Moving from Victim to Victor (2020), and Prodigal Daughter: A Journey Home to Identity (2016). For more information, visit www.cynthiagarrett.org
