Running from TikTok to Baptism and Truth
AI-powered social media is hurting kids, but look at the simultaneous revival happening, writes Robert J. Marks“Digital fentanyl.” That’s the evocative term U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wisc. used to describe TikTok. In Robert J. Marks’ new Newsmax article, he decries the tragic effects of social media on teens. The data is in: social media makes kids depressed. Marks writes,
Media-drenched teenage boys without girlfriends feel like social freaks. One in three teenage girls who use social have body image issues.Young adults who use social media are three times as likely to suffer from depression. Depression can lead to suicide.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, female suicides aged 15-24 increased by 87 percent over the past 20 years and male suicides increased by 30 percent. The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry says suicide is now the second leading cause of death for “children, adolescents, and young adults age 15-to-24-years old.”
-Robert J. Marks, How AI May Increase Baptisms | Newsmax.com
This is dark and painful news. Nevertheless, Marks lists the breakout of “revival” occurring all across the country, from baptisms at Pirate’s Cove to the Asbury Revival that attracted thousands. Even while AI-powered apps addict and enslave so many, Marks thinks God is reaching this generation is a fresh and powerful way.
“These and other media portray a world where everybody is happy and having a good time,” he writes, referring to TikTok and Instagram. “Everyone, of course, except for you. There must therefore be something wrong with you.” Then he pivots to the good news:
Contrast this to the fundamental Christian message as outlined in C.S. Lewis’ classic book Mere Christianity. You are not a loser. You are a child of God. Christianity teaches that, because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, you can be in God’s family.
While social media lies to kids about what’s real, causing them to despair about who they are, the message of Christianity is that you are loved, despite being imperfect, flawed, and broken. Young people are hearing this message and flocking to the truth.
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