by Pat Hough, Technology Integration Director
On October 24th, International School of Brooklyn and Brooklyn Heights Montessori School co-hosted a screening of the documentary Screenagers. The film explores what parents and educators should know before handing over digital devices to children. Screen addiction is a real issue, and this film addresses a range of concerns, from a teenager’s point of view of “needing” a phone, to a parent’s rightful concerns regarding the impact of technology on mental health and brain development. The film inspires viewers to to draw on their own experiences for approaching the problems we all encounter regarding screen time. It illustrates different coping strategies that parents can use to help kids intelligently navigate internet use while recognizing that there are no easy answers. The film is not simply an interesting documentary, but is an important teaching tool as well.
After the film, some of our 8th Grade students were charged with the task of leading and moderating the break-out discussion groups. Here are their reflections:
“Our group talked a lot about restrictions that parents put on us. It was great! We were able to communicate our different views. It helped me and my parents develop different views on this topic. We also talked about going back and forth from one thing to another thing, for example how somebody could be watching TV and doing their homework at the same time. We also talked about the restrictions we have at home and why. I learned a lot.” -Miles T.
“In my group we talked a lot more about the restrictions put on children and what effects these restrictions have on schedules and behaviors. We discussed what we, as children, think works and doesn’t work in the sense of parenting.” -Django S.
“The movie had many controversial topics such as screen usage among children and adults. The film compared the two and outlined the issues and solutions for both of them. In my group, the people of different ages generally had different opinions. The adults felt more ashamed about their usage of screens whereas the children thought that screen usage was fine.” -Rico B.
“In my discussion group, we talked about the values of parent-child agreement on cell phone use. We also talked about how important it is to know when it is appropriate and not appropriate to use your phone. We all agreed that both parent and child must know know when to put the electronics down.” -Mason Y.
“The film Screenagers made me realize what the consequences of screens are. Leading the discussion was a new experience for me, especially because the discussion was with people I didn’t know.” -Theo T.
