How much of what you see on social media is actually from people you know or content you’ve chosen to follow? Companies spend big bucks to push their content in front of you and influence your thoughts and actions and this constant bombardment can make social media feel draining and more like a chore than something enjoyable. It’s so frustrating to sift through all the noise just to find the genuine content you care about - or at least signed up for!
Nicholas and I have really tried to be proactive about setting boundaries with social media in an attempt to honor the Lord with what we’re intaking. We chose to delete and block sites like TikTok and Instagram whose algorithms seemed to constantly push content our way that would lead us to sin. We reached a point where we felt it was impossible to have access to these sites without making provisions for our flesh (Romas 13:14) in areas like lust, comparison, and covetousness.
Although giving up TikTok and Instagram seemed fairly easy for us (honestly, I don't find much redeeming about either of those sites) - I like to consider myself a creative person and I get a lot of inspiration from Pinterest. Additionally, Nicholas and I both have family and friends across the country, and we enjoy staying in touch and keeping up with their lives on Facebook. Unfortunately, even though we see Pinterest and Facebook as “better” social media options, both platforms still have algorithms that really push inappropriate reels and suggestive content, especially to Nicholas since he's a male. We spent months blocking pages and asking for certain content to be hidden, but it felt never-ending! The limit did not exist to the amount of content we'd need to block to feel comfortable using these sites. Both of us were getting targeted with reels that were nearly pornographic, and no matter how many times we asked to “See less of this”, something equally bad would pop up in its place.
Honestly, it was really defeating. Both of us are in ministry and love to love people, which often entails being where the people are - online! For the longest time, we felt lost and thought we might have to delete everything and live like monks in this very social world (we still might have to in the future as we're called to be aliens, in the world but not of it, etc. (1 Peter 2:11, John 17:14-16) - we're both holding social media with an open hand for the Lord to say “no more” to at any time.))
But through a lot of prayer and honestly hard nose, Spirit lead, determination and stubbornness - I feel like we’ve found some solutions to our issues with social media and I wanted to share some of the things we’ve done in case you’re also fed up with being pummeled by content you didn’t ask for or content you’re trying to avoid. These resources can also be super helpful for parents who are trying to keep the internet a relatively safe place for their children or teens. We’re passionate that our children shouldn’t and won’t have unmonitored access to the internet/social media on their devices.. and we’ve found out that almost all devices have access to the internet if you search hard enough. Televisions, tablets, and game consoles (Xbox/Playstation/Nintendo Switch, etc.) all come with unrestricted access to the world wide web and require some sort of parent lock to disable it. Although these “fixes” can sometimes make things more inconvenient or difficult for us, but we’re thankful that the Lord has provided ways for us to enjoy the internet in a wholesome way. We should be able to use social media without feeling scummy afterward!
Quick disclaimer: Trying to solve spiritual problems with practical solutions before addressing them prayerfully isn’t wise. I’m often tempted to do this myself, but Scripture reminds me that only God empowers us to fight sin in any meaningful way. Philippians 2:13-14 tells us that it’s God who works in us, giving us both the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. Nicholas and I really had to (and STILL have to) examine our hearts and bring our desires to use social media for sinful purposes before the Lord in prayer and repentance. I think only after this will He grant us practical solutions to "present our members as instruments of righteousness to God" (Romans 6:13).
Also, I’m not trying to sell anything! These are just helpful resources that have worked for us so far:
ESUIT AD Blocker for Facebook
Reels truly felt like the ban of our existence within Facebook. It drives me crazy that there's no built-in way to disable them, but one can hope and pray that it will happen in the future! Until then, the solution I have found is the Esuit Ad Blocker! It’s totally free and it removes reels, ads, and ‘suggested for you’ content. This has been great for us! We can get on Facebook without having to worry about running into inappropriate TikTok/IG reels. It truly feels like a breath of fresh air!
One thing that’s been really eye-opening about this ad blocker - and the next tool I’m going to suggest - is that it shows you whenever it blocks any content. Sometimes, it’ll block 30 posts in a row! After I downloaded this extension, I realized that 75% of the content on my Facebook feed wasn’t even from people I knew! Most of it came from random content creators that matched my personal, political, and religious views. It’s crazy how much content is pushed at you based on your preferences. It creates this wild echo chamber, and I really think this is how information wars start - but that’s a topic for another blog post.
AdBlock
AdBlock is another free extension, similar to Esuit, but for Pinterest. It’s been great to use Pinterest and see ideas and content tailored to my saves, instead of ads from companies that paid to get their stuff noticed. The only downside is that it leaves empty spaces on the page where the ads used to be, which isn’t the most visually appealing, but I’m more than happy to deal with that!
Covenant Eyes
Covenant Eyes is software you can install on your phones, tablets, and computers to help protect you from online temptations. It blocks inappropriate content and tracks your browsing activity. You can set up accountability partners who get detailed reports and screenshots of your online habits. They also receive notifications if anything inappropriate is detected. Nicholas and I installed Covenant Eyes on all our devices about 2 years ago, and it’s been incredibly valuable for keeping us accountable to God, each other, and our friends regarding what we’re viewing online. It’s particularly useful for social media, where, even though the sites themselves might not be flagged as explicit, we all know how easy it is to find inappropriate or explicit content within them. Covenant Eyes isn’t free, but you can have up to 10 people on one account and split the cost between all of you. Plus, you can install it on as many devices as you want, which made it a really good investment for us.
Sometimes, taking something apart is the best way to figure out how to fix it or make it better. Covenant Eyes isn’t perfect and can be bypassed, so we’ve looked for all the ways to get around it to set up stronger barriers for ourselves and our kids. For us, that means disabling the App Store and the option to delete apps on phones, deleting the social media apps themselves, and setting up passcodes that only a trusted accountability partner knows. These steps have helped us make Covenant Eyes as effective as possible. If you're interested in getting Covenant Eyes for yourself or your kids and want to know more about how to set it up securely, I’d be happy to talk to you more about it! Just send me a message on Facebook!
These three resources have really helped us honor God with our online and social media use. I hope you find them useful too, and I’d love to chat more about them if you see me around! Unfortunately, I don’t think social media will get any more conducive to virtue over time, but with a bit of effort, we can still protect ourselves and our families from temptation. If you’ve found anything that works for you or your family in using social media wisely, let me know!
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:1–2
