Film about effects of smartphones on children screened at Regina school

A new documentary is looking at the effects of smartphones and social media on children’s development and how parents can help kids navigate a digital world.

Screenagers is a 2016 documentary film created by Dr. Delaney Ruston. According to the film’s website, Ruston takes a “deeply personal approach as she probes into the vulnerable corners of family life, including her own, to explore struggles over social media, video games, academics and internet addiction.”

The documentary has won multiple awards and was screened to more than 700 kids in grades 5-8 at Regina’s Sheldon Williams Collegiate last Friday.

Marlene Jackson, chair of the Argyle School community council, helped bring a screening of the film to the city.

Jackson said she believes the documentary had an effect on the students who watched it.

“They were reflecting briefly on their own social media use, also in terms of how their parents are using their social media, and how tablets and devices are sometimes pulling parents away from them as well,” Jackson told the CJME Morning Show Monday.

The film not only focuses on how technology is affecting children, but also how parents can help them stay safe online.

After the screening, a panel of experts answered students’ questions about the subject matter.

A public showing will be held Monday night at Sheldon Williams, where the panel will once again be present.

— With files from the CJME Morning Show.