Screenager Recap

We had such a great turnout last week for the film screening of Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age. We spent the morning showing the film to students in grades 4-10, followed by grade level discussions about the role of screens in our lives and ways to find balance. The evening screening was also followed by a valuable discussion, with a Q & A facilitated by our own Angela Heath (educational technology director), Nikita Midamba (clinical research associate) from the Social Media and Adolescent Health Research Team from Children's Hospital, and Nancy Waters (US counselor) and I. The turnout was great, with many of our families as well as families from the community. 

This topic is such a good one to explore as a family for two reasons- 

1. Screens affect us all, and aren't just a teenage issue.  We all need to find balance with the screens in our lives and most of the guidelines that are healthy to put in place for our adolescents and teens are healthy for all us to follow. 
2. There are so many threads to follow on this topic-- hours spent in front of screens, impact on brain development, impact of social media on our self-esteem and emotional health, quality of our sleep, quality of the face to face time we spend with people, rules of engagement as we converse with others, the ability to just be without feeling the need to look at a phone-- I could go on and on. As a family, pick one or two of these threads and talk about what you value and the guidelines you feel are important and helpful. 

I referenced a few resources after the film that I wanted to leave you with here. One is a great article I read a couple of weeks ago about the unwritten social media rules that teens create and understand. Rules around the kinds of pictures that are okay to post so you don't look too sexy, or how many pictures you can post without looking like you are bragging.  Trying to manage the rules and guidelines we create for our children is one thing, all the while trying to navigate the ins and outs of the rules they understand (or don't) with their peers is A LOT to figure out. Check out that article here.

Another resource from the Social Media and Adolescent Health and Research Team (SMAHRT) is the Problematic and Risky Internet Use Screening Scale. This is an 18 item questionnaire and was referenced in the film. It is used by doctors and mental health professionals to help adolescents and their families gain insight into the impact of internet use on their lives. To give you a sense of the questionnaire, here is the front page of this screening tool. 

The filmmaker also referenced an app that keeps her from being distracted by her phone and text messages while driving. I did a quick search and found a handful, including At&T Drivemode, OMW- On My Way,  It Can Wait, Lifesaver, Down for the Count, Canary (this one also seems to have the ability to help you monitor safe driving for your teen driver). More information can be found here.

A book referral for teenagers from Angela Heath is lol...OMG: What every student needs to know about online reputation management, digital citizenship and cyberbullying, by Matt Ivestor.  Its an easy read to help students navigate the digital world. An Amazon link is here for more information. 

I hope these resources are helpful if you are looking for guidance. As always, don't hesitate to reach out for more support!