Media Alert!
May 2026
BLOG #78
Sue Summers
MediaSavvyKids.org
“Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” Romans 12:2 (The Message)
Summer Slump?
Ah, summer! Nat King Cole captured it in his 1962 single hit, “Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer.” How delicious the mere thought of endless days of sun and fun.
Kids everywhere – and teachers, too – look forward to summer vacation. It’s a relief from their structured schedule and enough freedom to pursue other interests. But the reality is:
“The term ‘summer learning loss’—often referred to as ‘the summer slide’—describes the loss of academic skills and/or knowledge that occurs during the summer months when school is not in session.” (www.nwea.org/blog/2026/summer-learning-loss-what-we-know-what-were-learning)
For many teens (and preteens), the summer days are filled with video games, watching TV, scrolling through inane reels online, and a social media overload.
“Children in the U.S. spend an average of four to seven minutes outdoors each day in unstructured play, compared to 7.5 hours each day in front of electronic media, according to the National Recreation and Park Association.” (https://www.denver7.com/news/local-news/children-spend-an-average-of-4-to-7-minutes-outside-each-day-report)
Our teens need encouragement to fill their summer days with meaningful experiences, rather than with endless hours of media consumption.
For we adults who have a rapport with teens, it’s important to take time to help them make some choices this summer that will be constructive and memorable. Here are a few suggestions to share with teens:
• Read a book – or several books. Visit a local library, select books from a variety of genres, and broaden your horizons about the world around you.
• Write! Start a journal. Begin a blog. Write to a friend or relative who has moved away. Consider a variety of creative options: a screen play, an op-ed piece, poetry, a short story, song lyrics, or any other style that appeals to you.
• Spend time outside. Buy a sketchbook and some charcoal pencils and put what your eyes see on paper.
• Watch the news! Spend a bit of time learning about the current events – local, national, or international. Expand your knowledge of politics. Develop an understanding of diplomacy or democracy.
• Join or start a Bible study. There are many options available. Check with your church.
• Provide a service! Mow a neighbor’s lawn. Offer to shop for an elderly person. Help with a community outreach, such as “Meals on Wheels”.
• Walk the dog – and offer to walk dogs in your neighborhood to earn a few bucks.
• Study plants and learn what’s edible and what’s not. Try creating some dishes with your discoveries.
• Create an organized playtime for kids in your area, for example: two afternoons a week playing soccer or basketball at a nearby park. The parents will appreciate this and so will the kids.
• Offer to help with local garage sales: the preparation – and also on the day of each event. • Use the camera on your cell phone to document happenings in your area. Or create a documentary or movie starring the neighborhood kids.
• Start cooking! Make dinner one night a week for the family. Become a baker with a focus on a specific type of delicious breads, cookies, or cakes.
• Go outside! Hike, bike, jog, shoot hoops, swim, or visit a park.
• Fill your days with interesting and imaginative adventures. Start a new hobby, learn a new skill, meet new people… and share your experiences with your friends and family members.
• Start and end your day with gratitude for the delight of your new experiences that day.
The bottom line is that teens need to live a full life and not be tethered to their cell phones or video games all summer. They may need a bit of a push, but it could be life-changing.
So how can we help teens become media-savvy about the culture that surrounds them?
Parents, grandparents, coaches, youth pastors, teachers, Sunday School teachers – really any adult who has a relationship with a teen – can encourage him or her to expand their awareness and experiences. Here are some discussion starters to initiate new ideas for teens:
• Ask, “What are your plans for this summer? Have you set any goals for this break from school?”
• Ask, “If you could accomplish anything significant during the next two months, what would it be?”
• Share the list above about some options for their summer break. Discuss them together to see if any appeal to them.
• Share, “Let’s investigate what events are happening in our area this summer. Maybe we could attend concerts, or join with friends and go camping together, or set up weekly visits to museums. What are your thoughts?”
Share Galatians 5:12-13:
“It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom.”
• Discuss what this scripture means and how it can be applied during their time off from school.
• Ask, “What’s the best thing about summertime? How can this time be used as part of what Jesus called ‘an abundant life’ in John 10:10?”
• Share, “Let’s continue to discuss how we can all best use the time we have to serve God. We all need to set goals and be responsive to who God has called us to be.”
• Note: Share this blog with your church’s youth pastor as a lesson for youth group gatherings.
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Sue Summers is a Christian media analyst, teacher, author, and speaker.
She is the Director of Media Alert!
Contact Info:
Blogs: MediaSavvyKids.org
Website: http://www.MediaAlert.org
Email: Sue@MediaAlert.org
#MediaSavvyKids, #ChristianParenting, #ChurchAndCulture, #YouthPastors, #YouthGroupCurriculum, #HelpForChristianParents, #TeensAndCulture, #AChangingCulture, #CriticalThinkingAndTeens, #IAmNotDefinedByTheCulture, #Summertime, #TeensBestUseOfFreeTime, #ServingGodInOurFreeTime
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Sue’s new book is a curriculum with 25 lessons for Christian teachers, youth pastors, home school parents, and Sunday School teachers. The lessons encourage teens to think about the culture that surrounds them and discover what God says about all of it.
Let’s Raise Media-Savvy Kids!
Lessons to Help Teens Stand for Christ in Today’s Culture
It is now available on Amazon for $15.99.
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© Sue Summers 2026
Media Alert! 