This week’s blog post is by Brad Wright, Compass Rose’s campus chaplain. To learn more about Brad, click here.

You can’t go anywhere and not see teens (and adults) texting, tweeting and snap chatting.  It’s everywhere. We are being taken over by the world of social media!  It’s really not that bad, I just wanted to GET YOUR ATTENTION! (I just yelled at you, in online-speak.)

Social media can be a great place for teens to share their faith in just a few words.  A teen that may be shy can put their favorite verse on Facebook for all their friends to read.  You can tweet in 140 characters or less what God has been doing in your life.  I can snap chat a picture of me reading my Bible.  The great thing about using social media is it allows me to communicate with people all the time – both in my area, and around the country.

Social media allows students to create “community,” not only with their friends, but with people all around the world who have the same interests and beliefs. Support or encouragement can come in a matter of seconds. Groups can be created to allow teens to communicate their successes, their hurdles or their concerns, and receive feedback almost instantaneously.

As always, though I do want to offer a word of caution to teens.  Be smart with social media.  Don’t put too much information out there – and especially do share private or personal information with anyone you don’t know.  We do live in a fallen world, and efforts to connect with others to share faith can sadly result in exposure to negative people and influences.  Use common sense when interacting with people online, keep your parents in the loop about your activities and interactions with virtual friends and meet-up groups, and as always, think before you post.

To learn more ways to help the teens in your life leverage the positive power of social media, contact Compass Rose Academy today.