Community invited to special free showing of "ScreenAgers" on April 4

The North Syracuse and Liverpool Central School District communities are invited to a special free screening of SCREENAGERS: Growing Up in The Digital Age. SCREENAGERS is the first feature documentary to explore the impact of screen technology on kids and offer parents and families proven solutions that work. The film is not available in theaters. It can only be screened as a community in certain locations.  The special screening at Cicero-North Syracuse High School will take place on Thursday, April 4 at 6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Childcare is available. Click here to download the event poster.  ABOUT Physician and filmmaker, Delaney Ruston decided to make SCREENAGERS when she found herself constantly struggling with her two kids about screen time. Ruston felt guilty and confused, not sure what limits were best, especially around mobile phones, social media, gaming, and how to monitor online homework. Hearing repeatedly how other parents were equally overwhelmed, she realized this is one of the biggest, unexplored parenting issues of our time.   As a director, Ruston turned the camera on her own family and others—revealing stories of messy struggles over social media, video games, academics and internet addiction.  We meet Hannah, a 14-year old victim of social media bullying who struggled trying to hide her social media use from her mom. And Andrew, whose love of video games turned into an addiction taking him from earning straight A’s to flunking out of college.

Interwoven into these stories, are cutting edge science and insights from thought leaders Peggy Orenstein, Sherry Turkle, Simon Sinek, as well as leading brain scientists who present evidence on the real changes in the brain when kids are on screens. SCREENAGERS goes far beyond exposing the risks of screen time, it reveals multiple approaches on how parents and educators can work with kids to help them achieve a healthy amount of screen time.

SCREENAGERS is blazing a new model of distribution. Our community viewing model brings parents and educators together to start a conversation nationwide about how screen time impacts their lives and what they can do about it.  As part of the community viewing model, parents, educators, PTAs, religious organizations, medical practices and workplace groups can book their own screenings at www.screenagersmovie.com.  Parents are encouraged to bring their kids to the movie.

Movie Themes

• Use of screens in school

• Boys and video games

• Girls and social media

• Risk of addiction

Stats

• Kids spend on average 6.5 hours a day on screens and that doesn’t include classroom or homework screen time.

• Boys spend on average the equivalent of 1.5 days on video games every week

• Some recent studies show us that screen time increases dopamine production and causes behavior that mimics addiction.