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What if we could change the
next generation's relationship with technology?
THE HANG 10 VISION
The Hang Ten Movement is a set of ten technology practices for communities of Christians who want to receive the gifts of technology while fighting against its evils.
It's not a set of rules! It is a vision for how we can communally raise children to use technology for good. We cannot teach children how to use technology alone. We need schools, churches, youth groups, and families all committing together to be a light to the world in a dark cultural moment. The Hang Ten Movement is not a movement about fear of technology. But it is a vision for how the of love of God and neighbor should radically change how we use it.
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If you feel your community needs better norms to raise children to use technology well, the Hang Ten Movement is a good place to start.
H10M ANCHOR HABIT
Hang Ten!
Wait Until 10th Grade
for Smart Phones
(And Social Media)
Waiting until 10th grade before giving kids a smartphone is the keystone habit of the Hang Ten Movement. We believe there's lots of things we can do to improve our kids' life with technology, but it all starts with this!
Community Practices.
"Our community tries to..." This is a set of practices for churches, schools and youth groups, because when we do not act together we all fall to the lowest common denominator.
We now have strong data showing the dangers of smartphones and social media at early ages. As a gift to our children and our communities, we agree to train our kids in face to face relationships, and then at the appropriate age of 16, carefully and communally train them to use the useful but dangerous things like cars and smartphones.
We recognize phones interfere with our ability to learn and worship together. So not only do we strongly encourage our schools to keep them out, but we encourage the same in youth group and worship settings.
Whether it is encouragement or argument, the most important conversations should be had face to face. So instead of sending angry emails, our communities prioritize hard conversations in person, where understanding and reconciliation can be practiced.
The hardest thing about technology is the collective action problem. The church has an incredible opportunity to be a community of action in a cultural moment of confusion. Whether or not the Hang Ten Movement commitments, we encourage ALL communities to adopt SOME set of norms to guide children and technology.
Household Practices.
"My family tries to..." These are a set of family practices, to try to set healthy boundaries of place
where technology can be properly located.
There are places in the house where we say technology simply doesn't belong, like dinner tables, for example. We create "no zones" in the house to emphasize that the household is fundamentally a place for communal relationships and embodied interaction.
This is a commitment to accountability in our use of technology. This begins with placing our screens in public places but extends to using good filters and software to prevent us from being "alone" in the world of technology. Not only does this practice emphasize a zero tolerance for pornography, but it recognizes that darkness cannot live in the light.
Every house should have a box or station where phones go to be home when you are home. This is a nudge, or an encouragement, to be present with the family, rather than "alone together."
Personal Practices.
"I try to..." These are a set of personal disciplines, to try to set healthy boundaries of time
in which technology can be used properly.
Becoming an expert in your smartphone's settings is now essential. Learn to control your phone so it doesn't control you. We have some ideas to help...
The cultural norm is for technology to frame the day, the first and last thing we do. But we aspire to frame technology and put it in its
proper place.
By committing to turn our screens off for an hour, we commit to turning to other people. We practice regular hours of off time (like for a family dinner, a workout, or a conversation
with a friend) to practice rhythms of attention and presence.
