Movie Review: Screenagers - Growing Up in the Digital Age

screenagersmovie.com 

“Why don’t you get off your (device) and go outside and play?”

“If you don’t get (chore) done, then you can’t play on your (device).”

“But Mom, I need my (device) to get my homework done.”

"I'm tired of competing with your devices."

"These video games are ruining your brain".

Can you relate?

This is part of the daily struggle in many homes with teens and tweens. Technology has given us the ability to connect, multitask, be productive, be entertained, gain knowledge and more. But how much is too much?

Screen time and the effects of digital media are at the forefront of many people’s minds in today’s culture, and a new film takes the topic head on.

We had the opportunity to screen “Screenagers,” a film produced by Dr. Delaney Ruston that explores how excessive screen time is affecting our kids and today’s families.

A medical doctor from Seattle, WA, and a parent navigating her own journey with her children in the constant struggle over the balance between screen time and real life, Dr. Ruston decided to make Screenagers because “she believes deeply in the importance of helping kids find balance in our tech-filled world.” Her film has been featured at film festivals across the country.

The fact that she’s still figuring out the screen/life balance herself as a parent immediately creates a connection between the film’s parent audience and her “character,” the narrator. In the film, college professors, bloggers, researchers and others weigh in on how overuse is truly damaging this generation. Studies show excessive screen time stunts brain development, creates an inability to focus, and reduces cognitive and communication skills.  

We get a glimpse into the filmmaker’s own life and the lives of everyday people who share personal stories about the impact of technology and screen usage within their homes, and the turbulence it creates. From one girl’s experience of her “bra selfie” gone viral to another boy’s excessive video game playing that landed him in rehab for his “addiction,” something hits home to all of us: this is real. It is what is happening in families, at school, after school and in societies across the world today. The question is, what are we going to do about it?

Experts showcased in the film offer constructive advice to parents about the action that needs to take place within our communities, our classrooms, and most importantly, in our homes. They advise it starts by examining ourselves as parents and our own screen addictions. To shift screen usage to a healthy place and minimize its harmful impact on our personalities and habits, we must realize it truly takes a village, but the first step is at home, empowering our kids.

Our overall takeaway from the movie is the message it drives home about the importance of families establishing rules and boundaries on tech usage in and away from the house. The most significant tip all parents can tackle is teaching children from the start how to self-regulate their screen time.

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Here are some other suggestions from Screenagers:

1. Set up a tech contract for EVERYONE in the family, parents included! Have your kids help set the rules.

2. Make “screen-free” time. One day a week, certain hours of the day, or even better, set up a tech-free vacation.

3. Set time limits - give the brain a chance to rest

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In an interview with the NY Times, director Dr. Delaney Ruston stated, “I want to spark a movement to get everyone, from parents to policymakers, to watch the movie, then have a “town hall” style conversation afterward about how we can best help kids lead more balanced lives.”

Screenagers is a must see for parents and kids. It offers the right combination of relatable characters and light-hearted humor to captivate the audience and allow us to do some silent self-evaluating of our own screen habits. A bit ironic to encourage more screen time, we know, but the film is eye-opening for parents who’ll discover they are not alone in the challenge of raising the first all-digital generation.  

Check out the Screenagers website to see if there’s a screening near you or to inquire about bringing it to your community or school.  

Start the Conversation: Back to School Social Media Tips for Parents

“Back to School” time can be a crazy and chaotic experience for parents and kids. We spend the better part of two weeks with lists in hand, getting prepared for the Big Day. From shopping for school clothes and making sure skirts and shorts are “finger-tip” length, to trekking to several stores to find the mysterious yellow binder that’s needed for History class, there is no better way to spend the last glorious days of summer than getting ready to go back to school.

ADOBE STOCK

Reflecting on the experience and what it means for families, the first word that comes to mind is NEW. With new clothes, new supplies, new teachers and new school year come new friends, new connections -- and exposure to new mobile apps, new websites and new situations.

Now that the mountains of back to school paperwork are filled out, morning routines are established, and last-minute trips for supplies are complete, take time to start the conversation with your child about digital responsibility. Establish your family rules and develop your game plan. Use these tips as a guideline:

1. Check privacy settings on apps and websites they use. Do it together! As parents, we are always learning, too!

2. Chat about connections. Life is not a popularity contest. Encourage your kids to keep connections to people they know IRL (in real life) and discuss new contacts you see on their “friends” lists you haven't met yet.

3. Discuss being careful about what you share and when you share it. Aside from never sharing personal information like phone number, address or password, cover why it's important they don't don’t share their location. A good rule of thumb is posting “after the fact” - after the party, or as you are leaving a location rather than while you are there.

4. Have a two-way conversation about cyberbullying. These are conversations, not lectures, and we can empower our teens and pre-teens by finding out what they have to say. Ask them what they think about cyberbullying, and discuss how to recognize it, handle it, and not contribute to it. This will let them know it's okay to talk about it at home, and feel more comfortable speaking up to you or a trusted adult or teacher if the see someone harassing another person.

5. Avoid digital drama. Not to be confused with cyberbullying, digital drama is like a tiff or dispute that could happen in real life, that occurs online on often spirals out control in comments, with shares, etc. Common Sense Media has some great tips on how to avoid the drama online. 

6. Remember the Golden Rule. Help them understand digital responsibility applies to all of us - kids and adults. Remind them of the importance and benefit of treating others as they expect to be treated. Be kind online!

technologyrocksseriously.com 

PRESS RELEASE: PARENT ENTREPRENEURS CREATE DIJIWISE APP TO PROMOTE DIGITAL RESPONSIBILITY

DIJIWISE APP GIVES PARENTS NEW WAY TO START CONVERSATIONS WITH TWEENS AND TEENS

DETROIT & ST. LOUIS -- Social media is a mainstay in the life of many 5th grade to high school-age kids, and with that comes the importance of understanding digital responsibility. That’s why a group of parents with technology, digital and media backgrounds have created DijiWise, an easy-to-use mobile app that keeps parents connected with their kids’ social media activity in real-time to inspire conversations about the moments they share online.

While most parents want to be aware of their child’s online world, 40 percent don’t check their child’s social media, and 1/3 know the password to at least one of their child’s social accounts (Pew Research). With social media usage starting as young as pre-teen years, the importance of education about digital responsibility is critical, no matter the age.

“DijiWise is a company with a cause. Digital parenting and helping our kids understand the benefits and challenges of online behavior and social media is a new responsibility parents have,” states the founding team at DijiWise. “Conversations can become a lost art with busy schedules and technology. Our goal in creating this app is to remove the complexity for parents and encourage conversations.”

DijiWise is available for download for iOS and Android. It features a low-cost subscription via In-App purchase for $4.99 per month - peace of mind and parental engagement for the cost of a cup of coffee.

App features:

●      Dashboard view with real-time updates on social media activity that helps parents interpret actions or inactions, stay familiar with kids’ peer groups, and save time by eliminating the need to hop website to website

●      Ability to monitor up to 4 profiles across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, with more to come

●      Save feature that enables parents to save an activity as a prompt to discuss later

●      Ability to personalize notification settings and activity you’d like to receive notifications for

●      Tips and trends on digital parenting, social media and teens

The company is led by women who have spent their careers in media and technology, including Stacy Kania, Director of Platform & Product Development, and Cindy Kerber Spellman, the company’s VP of Strategy & Community Development. Both moms whose intersecting career and parenting experiences have heightened their awareness of the importance of digital responsibility as their children grow.

“What digital responsibility and social media usage mean family to family may be different, and that’s ok. If we can empower parents and teens to be comfortable with the subject and become more aware of our digital footprints, then we’re making huge strides in responsibly enjoying the great things social media makes possible,” noted Kerber Spellman.

A DijiWise Community

Beyond the app, through outreach and partnerships, DijiWise is committed to encouraging a community of DijiWise families who practice online responsibility. The Parent Central section on the DijiWise website gives parents access to content about digital parenting, tech and digital trends among teens, online safety and more. Parents can also share and read DijiWise Moments.

ABOUT DIJIWISE

DijiWise is an app with a cause. Made for parents, by parents, we’ve created a new way for parents to stay connected to their children and encourage digital responsibility. By providing a real-time view of a child’s social media activity in one simple place, we make it easier to have conversations about the moments kids share. DijiWise is a women-led startup proud to call Detroit and St. Louis home.

Why Justin Bieber Leaving Instagram Matters

Credit: Facebook

Another celebrity has left a social media network, for now.

If you have a Belieber in your house, you likely learned within hours of it happening that singer Justin Bieber deleted his Instagram account. Maybe you saw it in one of your feeds, or quite simply, you just don’t care.

But you should.

Whether or not you take note of what celebrities do, the reason behind Justin Bieber leaving Instagram raises an important issue for parents and teenagers: hate that exists on social media.

If you’d like more on the gossip and the once-private, ex-boyfriend/girlfriend feuds social media gives us front row seats to, a quick Google search will give you the 411 on how Bieber deactivating his Instagram went down.

For the rest of us, here’s the Cliff Notes version:

Justin dated a girl named Selena Gomez. They’re both stars. They broke up. Fast forward to recent posts on Instagram by Justin of him together with a different girl by his side. More than 1 million people liked it and another 44,000+ had something to say about it in the comments -- including a harmony of Bieber followers who took on temporary personas of Internet trolls and voiced preference for ex-girlfriend Selena or hatred that, heaven forbid, he had a new girlfriend. Curious responses when, like most Instagram users, he simply posted a pic of what’s currently happening in his life.

And then it got interesting.

Having enough, Bieber posted a warning that he’d delete his Instagram account if his followers didn’t stop the hate. "I'm gonna make my Instagram private if you guys don't stop the hate this is getting out of hand, if you guys are really fans you wouldn't be so mean to people that I like."

Ex-girlfriend Selena chimed in, saying, “If you can’t handle the hate, then stop posting pictures of your girlfriend lol - it should be special between you two only. Don’t be mad at your fans. They love you. They were there for you before anyone.”

A little public back and forth ensued (as millions munched on popcorn and curiously watched), and just like that - @justinbieber on Instagram said “Sorry, this page isn’t available.” Justin Bieber left Instagram and the company of almost 78 million followers.

Credit: Instagram/The Sun

Why does this small blip on social media matter to parents in the big picture of the rest of the world?

Justin Bieber deleted his Instagram account because of hateful comments. Chances are, kids you know are on the giving or receiving end of criticism at some point, too.

Just because our kids aren’t celebs doesn’t mean they’re immune to criticism on social media. Few, if any of the million plus people who interacted with Bieber’s Instagram post, know him personally enough to have a valid reason to express their support or dissent about who he dates. It’s easy to hit “like” or react to a social post, and even easier to make a comment when you don’t know the person. It's easy to forget that on the opposite side of the screen - the receiving end - is someone who is still a person, no different than the rest of us.

It’s social - it’s quick, we see, we react, we move on. C’est la vie.

A quip to a post might seem harmless, but judging and making irresponsible comments contribute to a chorus of hate and normalizes negative mindsets. Beyond the possibly of being guilty of contributing to it, kids are regularly exposed to negativity on social as much as they are to the positivity. They follow celebs, publishers, sport teams, athletes, brands, friends they know, and people they may not know personally. If teenagers are used to seeing hateful comments on social media, what’s to keep them from becoming desensitized to it and partaking without realizing the impact their comment might have on others - especially their friends?

You might live with an Internet troll - one might even be your kid

That’s impossible, right?! Internet trolls are people who sit alone at their computer in dark rooms and make ugly and hateful comments behind the anonymity of a screen and...pause. This thinking is where we let the problem breed. Before we go into parental denial, let’s do a simple reality check ask ourselves what we’re doing to be sure our kids' activity on social isn't harmful or hurting anyone - are you checking your kids’ social media activity regularly? Are you having conversations with them about digital responsibility, or the good and the bad they see on social media, and the importance of our in-person manners carrying over online?

When kids get access to their first social media accounts, many parents are apprehensive. Why is that? Among many parents and teens I know, it's for reasons just like this. I don’t know the demographics of Justin Bieber’s “Belieber” fan base or social media followers, but intuition tells me it isn’t you or me getting upset the Biebs is seeing someone new. Whether you’re logging into their accounts daily or use apps like DijiWise that make it easy to see their social media activity in one place, having conversations about their everyday lives and online behavior will give you peace of mind that your son or daughter knows better than to be a troll, even if for a moment. In the end they’ll demonstrate responsibility when using Twitter, KIK, Snapchat, Instagram and other social networks.

“If you can’t handle the hate, then stop posting” sends the WRONG message

Did anyone else catch that? When the pop star warned he’d delete his account if the hate didn’t stop, his high-profile ex publicly suggested that if he couldn’t handle the hate, then he shouldn’t post pictures. Words straight from the mouth of an influential 24-year-old woman. It’s worrisome because it suggests that hatred toward another person is the norm on social media. Why is it even acceptable? Not to mention cringing when you see two people engage in a public argument online.

That’s why this saga is a learning moment for our sons and daughters.  When it comes to social, our job as a ‘digital parent’ is helping our pre-teen and teenage kids understand there will be time when they don’t agree with everything someone posts, not everyone will always agree with them either, and how to handle it (or how not to) when it happens.

If only more people did what Justin did. Or Leslie Jones. Or Curt Schilling.

Bieber isn’t the first celebrity to have had enough with ugliness that can brew on social media. Comedian/actress Leslie Jones (Saturday Night Live and Ghostbusters) abandoned Twitter after receiving what she described as racist abuse from Twitter users. Retired MLB player Curt Schilling took a public stance calling out Twitter users who Tweeted vulgar comments about his daughter after he announced the college team she’d be playing for. Everyday people, like you and me, like our sons and daughters, suddenly found themselves suspended from college. Or fired from their job.

We should encourage our kids to not get to the point to the point they feel reliant on a social network and can’t live without it. Having respect for themselves has far greater importance. Imagine if more people - famous or not - draw a line and take similar stances toward hatred on social media. We might see a shift in how companies like Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram or Twitter respond and better protect their users and the integrity of their platform. Even better, on an individual basis, we’d see a positive shift in what our kids deem acceptable from their friends - or of their own behavior.

Parenting in a ‘digital generation’ is different for most of us who didn’t grow up with social media and only started using it in college or in our adulthood. Privacy has new meaning, and we have less control over what our kids are exposed to and where they express themselves. What was once ‘our business’ is made everyone’s business with a simple click.

Social media connects people, including celebrities with their fans, and fans with other fans. In this case, hopefully it will connect parents and teens to start a conversation about hatred and the expectations and implications of our actions online.

Cindy Kerber Spellman (@kerberpr) is the VP of Strategy & Community Development at DijiWise. Her experiences as a parent and leadership background in communications, technology and digital media fuel her inspiration to encourage conversations about digital responsibility.