YouTube is huge, contains tons of videos that are inappropriate, and a social component that can be a path to bullying and harassment.

From the article:

Parry Aftab, executive director of WiredSafety, reports that only 5 percent of young people her organization has surveyed would tell their parents if they’re being bullied online, but one-third of them would confide in another trusted adult.

“A youth pastor could be the most likely person they will trust. So we have to prepare them to be the trusted adult,” Aftab said. “They need to understand cyberbullying and sexting. They need to understand how the technology works and how it’s abused. You have a precious few minutes to do it right, and if you do it wrong you’ll never hear from them again.”

I’ve been following Parry Aftab’s work for some time.  I was interested to see that she is also a United Methodist.  Internet safety is God’s work.

Some time ago I wrote some material for the General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church.  The goal was to produce a program that could be used at a local church to train the congregation on internet and cell phone safety issues.  The folks at GBOD did a wonderful job designing and implementing the final product.  I received my copies this week.

The Content on the CD includes: planning guide, teaching plans, handouts and a 30 minute movie presentation.  It is available on Amazon , the Upper Room, or from Cokesbury.