Updated for 25/26 | Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston as she picks up her camera once more to examine the impact of our digital age on teens' decision-making in relation to substances such as vaping, drugs, and alcohol.
Runtimes:
Full Version: 70 Minutes
Classroom Version: 50 Minutes
Film Team:
Co-Directors/Co-Producers: Delaney Ruston, MD & Lisa Tabb
Info:
Last Updated: 2025/26
Suitable for: Grade 6 up and adults
Available subtitles: English, Spanish
Screenagers Under The Influence: Addressing Vaping, Drugs, and Alcohol in the Digital Age, the third feature documentary in the Screenagers series, delves into how the tech revolution has reshaped adolescence and its effects on substance use.
The film debunks myths and depicts strategies parents and schools can use to encourage healthy decision-making, support teen mental health, set limits, and create healthy home environments.
The film also includes many ways young people are using their wisdom and strength to help each other and themselves through this complicated terrain around substance use. While most documentaries about substance use focus on severe addiction, Screenagers Under The Influence fills a pressing need for a film that explores more common scenarios.
The film is grounded in teens’ current reality of being flooded by images on social media, movies, and TV shows about vaping, drugs, and alcohol.
Like the first two Screenagers films, Screenagers Under The Influence interweaves cutting-edge science with personal stories to create an informative and entertaining film experience for young people and adults alike. Screenagers Under The Influence focuses on practical solutions for keeping our teens safe in a changing world.
I had the opportunity to view the Screenagers Under the Influence thru CADCA. I think it was absolutely wonderful!! After seeing it, I realized the importance of these movies for our community.
Wow! I just finished watching Under the Influence. The final line had me in tears - "we are here for them, not to shame them but to help them figure out their best and safest road forward."
“The timing of this movie could not be better or more urgent as we are facing a national youth mental health crisis"
Screenagers features guidance for youth, parents and educators, along with a range of expert advice:
Chief of Stanford Addiction Medicine. Author, Dopamine Nation
Prof. of Neuroscience, Chief of Hurd Lab, Mount Sinai
Psychologist. Author, Under Pressure
Pediatrician, University of Washington
Adolescent and family Psychologist. Author, Getting To Calm
Adolescent Psychologist, University of Washington
Dir. National Institute on Drug Abuse
Dir. Adolescent Substance Use & Addiction Program. Prof. of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Prof. of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Dir. UCSF Center for Tobacco Control Research
Psychology Researcher, University of Texas at Austin
Boys Varsity Soccer Coach, Archie Williams High School
Sewall Professor & Principal Investigator, Stanford Research Into the Impact of Tobacco Advertising (SRITA)
Prof. of Psychology, Loyola Marymount University
Author, Queen Bees and Wannabes
Prof. of Psychology, George Mason University
Screenagers Under the Influence examines how substances such as alcohol, vaping, and drugs are affecting teens, with a focus on the social, emotional, and developmental factors that shape their choices.
Across school and community screenings, audiences report increased understanding of the pressures teens face around substance use, including social norms, stress, and the role of peers and media.
By combining scientific research with real stories from teens and families, the film helps students feel informed rather than judged, while offering parents and educators practical guidance for starting honest, supportive conversations. The film aims to empower young people to make healthier decisions and seek help when they need it.
As part of the Screenagers series, Under the Influence supports school communities in addressing substance use through education, empathy, and prevention-focused dialogue.
Were engaged by the movie
Thought the movie contained important information
Were motivated to make positive change after watching
Source: 2025 Survey of Member Schools
There are two main ways hosts can show this movie in their school or community:
A one-time screening license allows hosts to screen one of our movies once to their school or community on a chosen date.
The Screenagers Project is our online membership platform for schools and other orgs serving youth, giving year-round access to our movies, curriculum and resources.
We also provide all hosts with a range of helpful resources to help them put on an impactful event:
We provide discussion guides to help hosts facilitate meaningful, informed conversations after a screening, supporting reflection, dialogue, and next steps.
Our marketing pack is available ahead of your event to help you plan and promote your screening. It includes ready-to-use posters, editable templates, social media graphics, and more.
Our membership includes an extensive library of lesson plans educators can use alongside school or classroom screenings. Materials are tailored for grades K–12 and designed to extend learning beyond the film.
Each film includes printable handouts for attendees, helping families learn more about the film’s themes and continue conversations at home and in the wider community.
Don’t just take our word for it! Here’s what some of our recent hosts had to say about their screenings
Our Screenagers movie event was a success! Your team was very helpful and professional. Screenagers has generated much discussion. We are planning for next year!
The event achieved exactly what we set out to and more. I could not have asked for any better. I received so much positive feedback!
So many people thanked us for having a showing and it seemed like everyone gleaned something from it! Thank you again for walking us through everything and making it easy to have a community event like this.
The parents definitely appreciated the film and walked away with new perspectives. We paired the screening with a panel discussion featuring a clinical child psychologist and an expert on media and children. It was a huge success!
We have been fortunate enough to screen your films multiple times in our schools and community, in partnership with many here in Westborough. It has helped fuel me in my work and as a parent.
The film itself is wonderful, and I was so happy to find the wealth of resources that came along with it. We are glad to have such good support for our work with parents.
Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
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