Kubla’s friend introduces him to some garbage on YouTube—Violence. Foul language. Women acting like no real person I’ve ever met.
He comes home and wants to watch it again. When I realize how bad it is I tell him to turn it off. Now.
“Why can’t I watch it?”
I take a moment to gather my thoughts. “How much broccoli are you allowed to eat every day?”
He looks at me suspiciously. “As much as I want.” (Which isn’t very much.)
“How many chips and cookies can you have each day?”
“A couple.”
“How much Poison do you get to have each day?”
“Poison? Why would I want to drink poison!?”
“What you put into your mind is like what you put into your body. The books we read together are like broccoli—they are good for you and make your mind strong. The cartoons you watch on TV—most of those are like Junk food—they’re fun, but too much makes your mind mushy. These videos—they’re like poison. They teach you terrible things about how to solve problems, about how to talk, about how to treat women. Why would you want to put this garbage in your mind?”
He doesn’t ask to see the video again.
How do you handle unhealthy media?
In two weeks I’ll give a free Kidorable Umbrella to whoever makes my favorite comment and shares this post on the platform of their choice.
