At Our Savior New American School, we believe education is more than academics—it’s about shaping hearts, minds, and habits that honor truth and cultivate wisdom. That’s why Principal Dr. Will Stelzer is launching something new this year: Phony Friday—a weekly reflection on the digital forces shaping our children’s lives, often without us realizing it.
This isn’t just a clever name. It’s a call to confront the “phoniness” that creeps in through smartphones, social media, video games, and television. These tools, while powerful, can quietly erode the very things we cherish in our children: their joy, their attention, their relationships, and their sense of purpose.
Episode 1 – Phoney Friday – How Smartphones and social media have damaged our youth!
What’s Really at Stake?
After six months of deep research and personal observation, Dr. Stelzer is sounding the alarm. Drawing from books like Reclaiming Conversation, Amusing Ourselves to Death, The Anxious Generation, and What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, he’s pieced together a sobering picture of how digital media is reshaping childhood.
Here are just a few of the dangers parents need to be aware of:
- Loss of Real Conversation: Social media encourages surface-level interaction, replacing deep, meaningful talk with likes and emojis. Children are losing the ability to listen, empathize, and express themselves face-to-face.
- Attention Fragmentation: Constant notifications and screen time train young brains to crave distraction. This undermines their ability to focus, reflect, and engage in sustained learning or prayer.
- Emotional Instability: Studies show a strong link between excessive screen use and rising anxiety, depression, and loneliness in children. The curated perfection of social media breeds comparison and insecurity.
- Identity Confusion: When kids spend more time online than in real life, their sense of self becomes shaped by algorithms, trends, and influencers—not by family, faith, or community.
- Moral Numbness: Exposure to inappropriate content, desensitizing games, and shallow entertainment can dull a child’s moral compass and appetite for truth, beauty, and goodness.
What Can Parents Do?
Dr. Stelzer’s message is clear: we must make wise decisions about how we use technology in our homes. That starts with awareness, but it must lead to action.
Here are a few practical steps:
- Create screen-free zones and times—especially during meals, bedtime, and family devotions.
- Model healthy tech habits yourself. Children learn more from what we do than what we say.
- Encourage outdoor play, reading, and creative hobbies that build imagination and resilience.
- Talk regularly with your child about what they see online. Ask questions. Listen deeply.
- Most importantly, anchor your family in Scripture and prayer. Let God’s Word shape their identity more than any screen ever could.
A Final Word
As Dr. Stelzer reminds us: “Don’t be phony.” Let’s raise children who are real—rooted in truth, alive to beauty, and equipped to navigate the digital age with wisdom and grace.
We’ll be sharing more insights in the weeks ahead. Until then, may God bless your parenting journey with courage, clarity, and joy.
Visit Our Savior New American School
If you’re seeking more than just academics—if you long for a place where your child can grow in wisdom, virtue, and faith—come discover Our Savior New American School. We offer a Classical, Christ-centered education that transforms hearts and minds, preparing students to live purposefully in a distracted world.
Learn more and schedule a visit today. Your child’s future deserves it.
