{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"Church Answers","provider_url":"https:\/\/churchanswers.com","title":"How Smartphones Have Been Used Toward a Torrent of Cyberbullying | Church Answers","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"8VTsP3uxjB\"><a href=\"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/blog\/how-smartphones-have-been-used-toward-a-torrent-of-cyberbullying\/\">How Smartphones Have Been Used Toward a Torrent of Cyberbullying<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/blog\/how-smartphones-have-been-used-toward-a-torrent-of-cyberbullying\/embed\/#?secret=8VTsP3uxjB\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;How Smartphones Have Been Used Toward a Torrent of Cyberbullying&#8221; &#8212; Church Answers\" data-secret=\"8VTsP3uxjB\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n\/* ]]> *\/\n<\/script>\n","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Group-of-Young-Adults-Laughing-with-Smartphone.png","thumbnail_width":1200,"thumbnail_height":628,"description":"(Note: I am sharing four articles this month based on my upcoming book, The Anxious Generation Goes to Church. These articles focus specifically on the harm smartphones do to our young people. All data and statistics in these articles are supported in the book. In this third article, I summarize how smartphones have been used to inflict cyberbullying on young people. My book will be released from Tyndale on August 19, 2025.)It used to be that bullies waited for the schoolyard. Not anymore. Today, the bullying follows our kids home. It follows them into their bedrooms. Into the night. Onto their screens. Into their hearts. The smartphone\u2014what many call a communication device\u2014has also become a megaphone for cruelty, a carrier for shame, and a tool for torment. With just a few taps, a teenager can be mocked, harassed, excluded, or humiliated\u2014sometimes by people they know, sometimes by people they don\u2019t. Let\u2019s not downplay what\u2019s happening. This isn\u2019t teasing. It\u2019s cyberbullying. And it\u2019s a torrent\u2014relentless, anonymous, and deeply damaging."}