Several years ago, while driving with her daughter, Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman noticed something in her peripheral vision.
She and her daughter pulled over to find a group of boys dressed in cardboard armor — armor they had started making two months earlier, the boys said, so that they could play paintball.
The encounter left President Freeman thinking more deeply about the “armor of God” description found in Ephesians 6 and how the late President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles once taught that the armor of God is “meant to be handcrafted in the home and fitted to each individual” (April 2004 general conference, “Do Not Fear”).
The boys she met on the road had created their best means of protection for their game, President Freeman said; and each set of armor was unique, fitted to the person wearing it.
She said gospel armor consists of righteousness, the gospel, faith, salvation and the Spirit.
“Think about your family or the person whom you came here praying and thinking about,” she said. “And then think, if you were going to handcraft [armor] for that individual, what are the pieces that you feel like might need to be strengthened right now? … How are you doing at crafting that for yourself?”
President Freeman’s remarks came during her closing keynote address at the 2026 Utah Coalition Against Pornography Conference on Saturday, March 14.
Founded in 2002, the Utah Coalition Against Pornography is a nonprofit organization focused on “raising awareness about the harmful effects of pornography and promoting prevention, education and recovery.”
Hundreds of people turned out for Saturday’s conference, held at the Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy, Utah. Session recordings are now available online at UCAP’s website.
President Freeman warned that pornography creates disconnection from God, from family and even from self-identity — and it’s kept alive by shame, discomfort, unmet needs, loneliness and isolation.
She again quoted President Packer, who taught: “The first order issued by a commander mounting a military invasion is the jamming of the channels of communication of those he intends to conquer” (October 1991 general conference, “Reverence Invites Revelation”).
President Freeman asked audience members to consider how well the enemy is jamming their communication lines with God. “What is the balance between the direction I am receiving from the world — the philosophies of men — and the direction that I am receiving from God?”
Strengthening personal armor
President Freeman listed ways that people use technology, such as for entertainment, for getting news updates or for learning about social issues and culture.
The scriptures are also a place to learn about events, social issues and culture, President Freeman said; but instead of philosophies of men, individuals will find guidance from God.
“How many of you, in the past week, turned to the scriptures with as much intensity as you turn to social media?” President Freeman asked.
She invited listeners to regularly clean out their social media feeds. If something causes a person to question their convictions or their worth, to doubt God or themselves, or to disrespect one of God’s children, then “unfollow” or turn it off.
“This is not the boss of me,” she said of her cellphone. “This doesn’t tell me what to look at, what to do or who I am. I am the boss of this.”
She also asked audience members to consider other influences in their lives, such as music, books and TV shows.
“That self-check that happens over and over again is what is going to protect us. It is what is going to help keep that armor strong on us,” President Freeman said.
Another way to keep personal armor strong is by cultivating awareness of thoughts, feelings and behaviors, she said. Simply recognizing triggers like anxiety, loneliness, depression or boredom is an important part of understanding how someone becomes more vulnerable to misusing technology.
Once recognized, a person can create a plan for responding to their triggers, President Freeman said. For instance, children might learn to immediately tell their parents if they encounter pornography, or an individual might text a trusted friend or counselor when faced with temptation.
“As we create emotionally safe homes, as we create places to have these conversations, change will come,” President Freeman said.
She also testified of Jesus Christ’s grace, healing power and ability to strengthen individuals in their struggles.
“There are tools. There is protection. There is armor,” she said. “We don’t fight this battle alone. And the Lord will be there with us in it.”
