Four-week small group study for parents: raising kids in a digital world

Four sessions for a small group, Sunday school class or parents' evening. Each takes about an hour and ends with one small step to try that week.

Updated November 13, 2026·4 min read·

Short answer

Week 1: whose home is it (Deuteronomy 6). Week 2: guarding the heart (Proverbs 4, Philippians 4). Week 3: when our kids stumble (Luke 15). Week 4: a home with good rhythms (Psalm 127, Ephesians 5), where each family writes its own tech agreement. Each session has an opening question, Scripture, discussion and one step for the week.

How to use this study

  • Who it's for: parents and grandparents of children of any age. It also works for couples expecting their first child.
  • Each session: about an hour. Open with the question, read the Scripture aloud, discuss, and agree on the step for the week.
  • The leader: doesn't need to be an expert. Your job is to ask the questions and keep the conversation kind. If someone shares something heavy, thank them and follow up privately.
  • One rule for the group: what's shared about our kids stays in the group.

Week 1: Whose home is it?

Open

What's one thing your parents did about technology (TV, phones, video games) that you've decided to do the same, or differently?

Read

Deuteronomy 6:4 to 9 and Psalm 127:1.

Discuss

  1. Moses puts faith formation in the everyday moments of the home. Which of those moments (sitting, walking, lying down, rising) do screens fill in your home right now?
  2. What do you think your home is "teaching" without anyone meaning to?
  3. Psalm 127 says "unless the Lord builds the house." What does it look like to invite God into decisions about technology?
  4. Where do you feel most behind as a parent? Where do you feel you're doing well?

This week

Notice. Keep a quiet note of when screens come out in your house and who has them. No changes yet, just notice.

Week 2: Guarding the heart

Open

What's something you've seen online that you wish you could unsee? (Keep it light, like a horror movie trailer or a gruesome news photo.)

Read

Proverbs 4:23, Philippians 4:8 and Psalm 101:2 to 3.

Discuss

  1. "Keep your heart with all diligence." What does guarding a child's heart look like, compared with guarding an adult's?
  2. Is a filter on the home Wi‑Fi a sign of distrust, or a sign of care? How would you explain it to your children?
  3. Psalm 101 is a promise the psalmist made about his own eyes first. What guards do we as parents need for ourselves?
  4. Philippians 4:8 gives a positive list. What good things could fill the space screens take up in your home?

This week

Put one guard on your home. For most families that's filtering the home Wi‑Fi, which takes about five minutes. See parental controls on home Wi‑Fi, or ask your church for its link.

Week 3: When our kids stumble

Open

When you were a child, who did you go to when something went wrong? Why them?

Read

Luke 15:11 to 24, especially verse 20, and 1 John 1:9.

Discuss

  1. The father sees his son "while he was still far off" and runs. What does that tell us about how God receives people who come home?
  2. If your child came to you tomorrow and said they'd seen something they shouldn't have, what would your face do? What would your first sentence be?
  3. Practice it together: "Thank you for telling me. You're not in trouble for telling me." Why might that sentence matter more than any rule?
  4. How can we talk about mistakes in our home so that our kids hide less and tell us more?

This week

Have one short, calm conversation with each child about what they'd do if they saw something online that made them feel weird or scared. Keep it under five minutes. End it with the sentence from this week.

Week 4: A home with good rhythms

Open

What's one rhythm in your home that already works well (a meal, a bedtime routine, a weekly outing)?

Read

Ephesians 5:15 to 16, Mark 6:31 and Exodus 20:8 to 10.

Discuss

  1. Ephesians talks about "redeeming the time." What would that mean for the hours screens fill in your home?
  2. Jesus invited his friends to come away and rest. What would a weekly time without screens look like for your family?
  3. Where should devices sleep at night in your home? What would it take to make that happen?
  4. What's one rule you want your kids to see you keep yourself?

This week

Sit down as a family and fill in the family tech agreement. Let the kids help write it. Put it on the fridge.

After the study

Ask the group what they want next. Many groups like to meet again in three months for a check-in: what's working, what isn't, what's changed. Your church can also hold a Safe Home Sunday so the whole congregation joins in.

Sheepdog Filter

Filter your church's Wi‑Fi, then help your families do the same at home.

One setting on your church's router covers every phone in the building. Your church gets its own page, a share kit and a QR code for families. Free to start.

Set up our church

Questions pastors ask

Do participants need a workbook?

No. Everything is on this page. Print it, or send the link to the group before each session.

Can we run it in a single evening?

You can, but the weekly step is where change happens. If you only have one evening, use the parent night talk instead.

Is it suitable for single parents and grandparents raising children?

Yes. Every session works for any household. In Week 4, the agreement can be between a grandparent and grandchild just as well.

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