Identity Restored: High School Students Overcoming Social Media’s Influence to Embrace Their Identity as Sons and Servants of God

The research question for this action research project relates to the impact of social media on the identity formation of believers through their high school years. As a youth pastor of 20 years and father of four teenagers, I’ve noticed that high school students maintain many of the social media habits and addictions seen in the secular world. This regular interaction with social media is detrimental to their identity formation; they are not adopting the identity provided for them in Christ as communicated by the Word of God. This project will discuss the roles and responsibilities of the believer's identity in Christ as sons and slaves of God. Christian high school students (ages 13-18) will be encouraged to adopt their God-given identity. The program began with 35 participants filling out a pre-program questionnaire. Ten lessons were taught, highlighting the importance of identity formation, the adverse effects of social media, and the Christian identity in Christ as sons and slaves. Small group discussions, one-on-one conversations, and a post-program questionnaire were used to collect results for analysis. The data revealed that young people at Maple City Baptist Church understand the gospel and view God as the ultimate source of their identity; however, they struggle to adopt and apply these truths, which negatively affects their spiritual and mental health. After completing Identity Restored, many testified to its effectiveness; they gained a greater appreciation for who they are in Christ and were made aware of the dangers inherent in social media addiction. Overall, the program was highly productive and is something many churches could utilize.