Webinar explores 'trust-based pedagogy' in parent-child relationships around social media

(OSV News) -- In a world increasingly dominated by electronic devices like smartphones, laptops, and tablets, social media has become a constant presence in children's lives, exposing them to various types of content.

The truth is technology is here to stay. However, the proposal presented in the Spanish-language webinar "How to Prevent Social Media from Consuming Our Kids?" was not to demonize its use, but to integrate it in a healthy way: to learn how to manage it.

The virtual meeting, held on Nov. 20, was led by Enrique Soros, vice president of the National Catholic Council for Hispanic Ministry, one of the event's main sponsors. Soros invited participants to reflect on how cultivating an "experience of freedom" in children helps them develop "personality, decision-making ability, and the strength to follow through."

After introducing the webinar's central theme -- trust-based pedagogy -- Soros handed the floor to Erika Cedeño, an educational technology professor at Tecnológico de Monterrey in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and to Sister Kathia Martínez of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary, who holds a degree in family counseling and advises families in various dioceses in her native Paraguay.

"All technology and social media were created to connect us," Cedeño said. "However, with the effects of social media and the early exposure to technology, we can affirm that these (screens) have become automatic dispensers of dopamine and distraction."

Cedeño pointed to a stark fact to illustrate the situation: "The American Psychiatric Association already recognizes the Internet as an addiction. It's a real mental health condition called technology addiction."

Among the effects of technology abuse on mental health, she cited zero tolerance for discomfort, a constant need for stimulation, a persistent sense of existential emptiness, anxiety, cyberbullying, and easy access to pornography.

Later, Sister Kathia, reinforcing the idea that technology use should not be demonized, stressed, "If we want to bring the world closer to God ... we need openness and mastery over everything that currently surrounds us and is part of this world."

Describing trust-based pedagogy as a "relationship of intimacy and dialogue to understand the other's interests," Sister Kathia emphasized the indispensability of family bonds, as they create a unique space of trust.

However, she explained that building this bond requires a pedagogical process of three levels: contact, communication, and communion.

Showing availability for the other person is key to establishing a relationship, assured Sister Kathia, emphasizing that "sitting down means presence, conversation -- and this isn't about preparing a sermon," but rather taking the time to ask oneself questions like: What are my children like? How is each one doing right now? What is my child's environment like?

When addressing how to manage media use in parent-child relationships, Sister Kathia suggested several steps, including providing children with a designated space for using electronic devices, normalizing technology in the home by integrating it with the teaching of values; and promoting not only content consumption but also ways to use social media to serve others.

This webinar was part of a series of webinars that have gathered pastoral agents of the American continent around the theme: "Domestic Church. Family: Live your Mission!"

The series kicked off this year in March, through the collaboration of the National Catholic Council for Hispanic Ministry and CEBITEPAL, the formation center of the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council. To close the year, three family-centric webinars were being shared, with the third one concluding the series Dec. 4.

Drawing on her experience as a mother of three teenage boys, Cedeño told attendees of the Nov. 20 webinar that trust-based pedagogy is a two-way street: "It's not just about how much trust we have in our children, but how much trust they have in us."

Cedeño shared that the key to the trustful relationship she has with her children lies in maintaining open communication. "I've always talked to them," she explained. "I tell them how my work is going, and I've shared my experiences from my youth. If I have a conflict, I tell them, 'Hey, imagine this happened to me ...'"

"That allows them to feel complete trust in me, and I love it," she added.

Cedeño, who also gives presentations to parents on technology and social media use, pointed out that digital connection can lead to isolation and lack of communication, behaviors that can be countered by encouraging children to engage in face-to-face interactions and participate in sports.

"A person develops through in-person social interaction," she affirmed, adding that it is at home where interpersonal skills are first developed.

"The way you were loved is the way you love. You love as you were loved. The way you were listened to is how you listen. The way you were taught to communicate is how you communicate," she concluded.