Media literacy for children is an imperative necessity

Balanced religious education is the foundation for building the character of children and adolescents. It steers children away from excess and extremism, while protecting them from negligence and laxity. A balanced understanding of religion fosters self-confidence, sound thinking, and positive engagement with society. Moreover, correct religious awareness is the key to the psychological and social well-being of the young, as it instills a sense of tranquility and encourages greater commitment and respect for others, thereby cultivating a generation capable of facing challenges with an enlightened mind.

It is no secret that raising the younger generation is no longer as simple as it was in the past. Today, families face significant challenges due to media openness and social networking sites. Children are daily exposed to a flood of information and imagery that can erode values or distort religious concepts, making the family’s role in guiding and monitoring their children with wisdom and awareness more critical than ever. Some websites propagate value systems that may contradict Islamic identity and trivialize the concepts of the permissible and the prohibited under the banners of freedom and openness, all in the absence of intellectual oversight by the family. Many parents and families lack the sufficient awareness and technical skills to protect their children or guide them in the digital realm, resulting in a generation that is electronically free yet lacks a moral compass.

Therefore, children must be engaged at the table of dialogue rather than subjected to mere commands. They must be fortified and taught how to use content responsibly, and trained to manage their time in a productive and beneficial manner. The primary responsibility lies with the family, as the primary source of faith-based education. Children absorb religion in their youth when they see it practiced as behavior at home, rather than as passing rhetoric. Their awareness deepens when the family exercises conscious, rather than coercive, oversight, shares in their media preferences, and opens up calm dialogues that teach them to distinguish between the trivial and the valuable. Here lies the principle of family balance: neither excess that breeds extremism, nor laxity that leads to moral decay, but rather mercy, discipline, and awareness.