Electronic Love

My daughter met a young man on Facebook, and he pretended to love her until he asked her for…!

Electronic Love

With mobile phones now widespread among very young children, we’re seeing girls living out imaginary love stories through platforms like Facebook and Instagram. The concerning part is that this is happening as early as elementary and middle school, rather than starting in high school and during adolescence.

Young girls at these ages lack sufficient awareness and maturity. Meanwhile, young men often have free time and are looking for entertainment and fun.

The situation is worsened by:

• Television and the internet displaying videos and series with provocative scenes for young people.
• The scantily clad attire of some actresses, which can excite some males and also teach girls that such attire is normal or fashionable.
• Schools no longer teaching values or ethics.
• Parents being too busy for their children, leading to a lack of proper upbringing, values, religious education, and ethics.
• All the surrounding circumstances encourage young men and women to seek entertainment from other youth.
• Girls, in particular, need containment, attention, and to feel important and loved.

So, they connect on Facebook, where each party tries to fulfill the other’s needs. The young man knows how to approach the girl and make her feel important. He starts by listening to her, as she needs someone to listen. Then, he moves into love talk, followed by “I want to see you, send a picture,” and “If you love me, you’ll listen to me.”

He begins emotional blackmail: “If you love me,” “If you trust me.”

She sends the picture. Then they enter the bargaining phase: “Do such and such, or I’ll expose your pictures and post them online.”

If she refuses, her pictures might be distributed among a group of his friends, and multiple individuals will start blackmailing her, saying, “Why did you do that with so-and-so? I want it too.” Or, it escalates to bargaining for money.

We can protect our daughters from all this by dedicating a little time to listen to them. We need to make them feel the necessary containment and attention. The mother should be her daughter’s friend, and the father should be close to her, fulfilling her need for support, love, and security.

As for the young men, they need families that focus on raising respectful, well-mannered individuals with good morals and religious values. They need to cultivate a conscience in them, fear of God, and a sense of responsibility.