Friday, January 23, 2026
The Briefing with Albert Mohler
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
4.8 • 8.4K Ratings
🗓️ 23 January 2026
⏱️ 27 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On today’s edition of The Briefing, Dr. Mohler discusses how parents are contributing to the social media problem in children, why children need the 10 Commandments, and he answers questions about getting married, holding a baby shower for a child conceived out of wedlock, demons and illicit dreams, the deathbed conversion of Scott Adams, and if Jesus descended into hell after he died.
Part I (00:14 – 06:06)
Australian Parents are a Big Part of the Social Media Problem: Parents are Aiding Their Children in Breaking Australia’s Social Media Laws
- Nearly 5 Million Accounts Removed Under Australia’s New Social Media Ban by The New York Times (Laura Chung and Victoria Kim)
Children Need the 10 Commandments: God’s Law is Foundational to Western Civilization and Central for the Education of Children
- Texas Schools Wait as Law on Ten Commandments Reaches Appeals Court by The New York Times (Pooja Salhotra)
When Do I Know It Is Time to Get Married? — Dr. Mohler Responds to a Letter from a 19-Year-Old Listener of The Briefing
Part IV (15:10 – 19:00)
Is It Wrong to Hold a Baby Shower for a Baby Conceived Out of Wedlock? — Dr. Mohler Responds to Letters from Listeners of The Briefing
Part V (19:00 – 00:00)
Are Demons the Source of My Illicit Dreams? — Dr. Mohler Responds to Letters from Listeners of The Briefing
Part VI (00:00 – 24:05)
What About the Supposed Deathbed Conversion of Dilbert Creator, Scott Adams? — Dr. Mohler Responds to Letters from Listeners of The Briefing
Part VII (24:05 – 26:31)
Did Jesus Descend Into Hell? — Dr. Mohler Responds to Letters from Listeners of The Briefing
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | It's Friday, January 23, 2006. |
| 0:08.1 | I'm Albert Mueller, and this is the briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. |
| 0:14.2 | Sometimes there's a story, and then you recognize, no, inside this story, there's a bigger story. |
| 0:19.8 | So I want us to look at a major report coming out. |
| 0:22.5 | It's coming out from Australia. Here's what it tells us. After about a month ago, a law went into |
| 0:27.5 | effect that eventually barred most children and younger teenagers from access to social media platforms. |
| 0:34.0 | The New York Times and others are reporting that nearly 5 million teen accounts have been removed. |
| 0:39.6 | The platforms, 10 in particular, the law prohibits when it comes to young people's use. |
| 0:45.6 | They include Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit. |
| 0:48.5 | And the law says that those who are not yet 16 are not allowed on these platforms, and the platforms are legally |
| 0:54.7 | bound to basically remove users or block them who are under age 16. |
| 1:00.5 | So you have to be 16 years old that has to be certified by some kind of process in order |
| 1:05.3 | for you to have access to one of these platforms. |
| 1:07.7 | All right. |
| 1:08.1 | So that's interesting, and it's based upon the fact that the Australian |
| 1:12.5 | government was faced with an avalanche of evidence indicating the harm that comes to younger |
| 1:18.6 | teenagers and to children when it comes to exposure to social media. Now, by the way, this doesn't |
| 1:23.9 | mean that it's safer for those who are 16 and older. It simply means that the |
| 1:27.8 | Australian government, like most governments, describes a certain age range for what's often referred |
| 1:35.6 | to as paternalistic policies. That's the government standing in as a father or as a parent to say, |
| 1:41.5 | you ought not to do this. Okay, that paternalistic policy is really important |
| 1:46.1 | here because I think the big story is not five million young users kicked off these platforms. |
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