Troubling statistics about the impact of technology on teenagers will be discussed during a screening of a documentary at Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School next week.
The Okotoks-area private school is inviting families to view and discuss the critically-acclaimed film Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age, which explores the impact of social media, video games, the Internet and screen time on youth. The event takes place in the school’s theatre on Jan. 17 at 7 p.m.
“It provides a greater awareness and understanding with respect to, particularly parents, some of the really difficult circumstances that we are putting children in with respect to technology,” said Alanna Wellwood, the school’s director of educational technology and programming. “Developing more awareness in society around that in general is important in moving the conversation forward.”
Wellwood said there are alarming statistics regarding the impact of technology on youths and it’s a conversation she feels families should be having.
“The situation we are putting our kids in with respect to access, particularly social media and gaming, we are basically exposing them at a very early age to addiction in an unprecedented scale,” she said. “There’s an expert in the field who says in many ways the current use of gaming and social media would be comparable to opening your liquor cabinet to a seven-year-old and say have at ’er. There are no restrictions.”
Wellwood added that experts are comparing teenagers receiving a text or like on Facebook or Snapchat to the same neuro-response as one would have to cocaine, alcohol and nicotine. She said studies are showing screen time increases dopamine production and causes behaviours that mimic addiction.
“I don’t think parents recognize that,” she said. “Even the most tech-savvy parent who is deeply interested in partnering with their kids to develop these skills doesn’t realize that every text is a dopamine hit.”
Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston speaks from personal experience after struggling with her own children over screen time. This prompted the United States physician to create a documentary to understand the science of tech time on childhood development and find solutions, according to the website screenagersmovie.com
Throughout the documentary, psychologists, behavioural therapist and addictions experts talk about the problems with how youth are engaging with technology and provide some ways people can work together to move forward, said Wellwood.
“It suggests how they might monitor or filter some of their children’s social media engagement, how to deal with cyber bullying,” she said. “Is there a way to move forward in a sensible way is what the movie is trying to create some discourse around.”
In recent years, Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School staff have been increasing awareness about the connection between youths and social media, said Wellwood.
“We go through extensive planning to find out what’s relevant, not only to our school population but the community at large,” she said. “We work really hard to try to figure out what are some of those difficult conversations and what are some of those difficult questions and unanswered pieces that no one is exploring effectively.”
Laptops are part of learning at the school, so Wellwood said it’s important for staff and parents to have a good understanding of what that means.
“Increasingly we are trying to develop awareness and discourse around what it is to engage with technology meaningfully and how to build everybody’s capacity knowing when a piece of technology is the right tool and when we should be in a technology-free atmosphere,” she said. “Although everyone might have access it does not mean that technology should be used at all times in all circumstances.”
She said 200 people in the school community signed up for the movie screening before the winter break. Staff and students returned to school on Monday.
“It’s an opportunity to improve our own knowledge and also offer something to the community that’s relevant and will be meaningful,” she said.
Following the screening of Screenagers there will be a round table discussion with a panel consisting of Wellwood, as well as a Calgary pediatrician that sits on a board looking at Canada-wide recommendations for screen time among youths and a psychologist who works with adolescent girls and young women at Calgary’s Juno House, a private practice counseling service.
The cost to attend the Screenagers screening event costs $7 per person. To learn more or to register go to sts.ab.ca
