ICYMI: Screenagers

Last month CTC hosted an event at East Ward Elementary School, a screening of the documentary Screenagers: Elementary School Edition. During the film, I noticed that many viewers were nodding their heads and murmuring agreement with many parts of the film, as did I. We had a great turnout to watch this movie and a wonderful group discussion afterward.

I am fairly certain that technology management and the stress that accompanies it is the #1 common challenge among all parents. Some of the topics we discussed, that were also covered in the film, included: how to set boundaries around using phones and devices, the struggle to keep up with how kids are using their devices and what apps they are on, and the realization that this is easier to tackle when we come together as a community. We shared many laughs and groans as we both commiserated and offered one another advice on how to deal with tech use in our homes – including our own use and role modeling.

Unfortunately we cannot offer a link to watch the movie, BUT I thought it may be helpful to see the resources we shared with attendees. See below for links to books, podcasts, websites and webinars that can help you feel a bit more informed and supported wherever your family is on their tech journey. 

CTC's Parent to Parent Podcast with Family Tech: "Episode 37: Chrissie's Tech Fails & Fixes with Family Tech"

DASD & CTC's Parent Speaker Series with Sarah Kimmel from Family Tech - Webinar Recording. She shares lots of tools to use in this one including how to turn off wifi to specific devices in your home.

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt - amazing book about the impact of smartphones and social media on youth with actionable steps for parents, schools, and communities. The website also has many resources and research.

Here is a Ted Talk interview with Jonthan Haidt that is under 40 min if you want to listen and get the main points of the book. The interview is titled "Are Smartphones Ruining Childhood".

Screenagers has a website with resources and this parent handout that has tips related to content covered in the film.

They also have a podcast that covers this topic - I want to listen to it myself, especially the episode with teens talking about how they use socials.

Lastly, DASD is lucky to have a great Prevention Specialist team at the Elementary Schools! CTC's most recent podcast also features the Elementary Prevention Specialists! Learn more about these amazing helpers - listen now!