On Wednesday evening over 100 people gathered to watch the thought-provoking film, Screenagers. The audience was an eclectic mix of students, faculty, parents, and members of the San Francisco community.

The film was put on by PLAID, a Hamlin parent group whose mission “is to support a vibrant and inclusive environment in which all members of the Hamlin community can celebrate their authentic selves.” PLAID “fosters open dialogue through family programs, parent education, and community outreach.”

Award-winning SCREENAGERS probes into the vulnerable corners of family life, including the director’s own, and depicts messy struggles, over social media, video games, academics and internet addiction. Through surprising insights from authors and brain scientists, solutions emerge on how we can empower kids to best navigate the digital world.

Screenagers has been shown to over 500,000 people from Australia to Saudi Arabia.

Key insights from the film include:

-Young people spend roughly 6.5 hours a day in front of a screen (not including work for school)

-Kids will sometimes use their phones to “look busy in awkward situations”

-The playing of violent video games has been shown to increase aggressive thoughts and actions

-In some households screen time is used as a “substitute parent”

-The myth of the overscheduled kid needs to be challenged, students in after school programs generally do better in school 

-5%-8% of the world population suffers from various forms of internet addiction

-Overexposure to screens and technology reduces empathy in children

-Parents and their kids need to work together to establish technology rules and boundaries that are applicable to everyone in the family

After the showing we had an opportunity to discuss the film with one of the producers, Lisa Tabb, and Eisha Buch from Common Sense Media.

During the conversation, one student shared what impacted her most about the film, “Being away from your phone can improve your grades, sleep, and friendships.”

Hamlin faculty member Liz Beck then spoke about how Hamlin’s emphasis on Digital Citizenship is teaching students to use technology thoughtfully.

Ms. Buch concluded by stating, “This is San Francisco, technology is part of our daily lives, but we need the productive use of technology, we need to know how we are using it, and use it effectively.”

For more information about Screenagers, please visit: http://www.screenagersmovie.com/