Who hasn’t been tempted every once in a while to be a little bit of something they usually aren’t? A little bolder, better, more opinionated or clever than we might appear in our everyday lives? I remember prank phone calls being a typical middle school way to get into a little mischief and “be” someone else.
I also recall hearing that drivers sometimes act more aggressively behind the wheel than they might in person. There’s something about the anonymity of being surrounded by glass and operating a powerful machine that gets a person revved up.
But what about the anonymity, or just the virtual distance, of being online? The internet seems to offer up the perfect forum to enhance or alter yourself a little. In Screenagers, girls talk about how they touch up their Instagram and Facebook photos before they post. Witty retorts in group texts or in social media comments can also earn you positive social media points.
In video games, players often create an avatar, which is their character in the game. You create your avatar’s look and choose your avatar’s accessories, weapons or car, for example.
And texting isn’t usually anonymous, but even when recipients know it’s you, the medium can embolden some people to behave differently than they might in person.
· Have you ever texted, emailed or made a social media comment that you would not say in person?
· Have you received texts, emails or online comments that you think wouldn’t have happened if you were face to face?
· Are you a different person in different online settings — more outrageous, more reserved, sillier, more serious, more confident, more attractive?
· What do you think about creating an online persona that’s different from your real-life personality?
Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast
Learn more about our Screen-Free Sleep campaign at the website!
Our movie made for parents and educators of younger kids
Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast
Learn more about our Screen-Free Sleep campaign at the website!
Our movie made for parents and educators of younger kids
Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast
As we’re about to celebrate 10 years of Screenagers, we want to hear what’s been most helpful and what you’d like to see next.
Please click here to share your thoughts with us in our community survey. It only takes 5–10 minutes, and everyone who completes it will be entered to win one of five $50 Amazon vouchers.
Who hasn’t been tempted every once in a while to be a little bit of something they usually aren’t? A little bolder, better, more opinionated or clever than we might appear in our everyday lives? I remember prank phone calls being a typical middle school way to get into a little mischief and “be” someone else.
I also recall hearing that drivers sometimes act more aggressively behind the wheel than they might in person. There’s something about the anonymity of being surrounded by glass and operating a powerful machine that gets a person revved up.
But what about the anonymity, or just the virtual distance, of being online? The internet seems to offer up the perfect forum to enhance or alter yourself a little. In Screenagers, girls talk about how they touch up their Instagram and Facebook photos before they post. Witty retorts in group texts or in social media comments can also earn you positive social media points.
In video games, players often create an avatar, which is their character in the game. You create your avatar’s look and choose your avatar’s accessories, weapons or car, for example.
And texting isn’t usually anonymous, but even when recipients know it’s you, the medium can embolden some people to behave differently than they might in person.
· Have you ever texted, emailed or made a social media comment that you would not say in person?
· Have you received texts, emails or online comments that you think wouldn’t have happened if you were face to face?
· Are you a different person in different online settings — more outrageous, more reserved, sillier, more serious, more confident, more attractive?
· What do you think about creating an online persona that’s different from your real-life personality?
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Who hasn’t been tempted every once in a while to be a little bit of something they usually aren’t? A little bolder, better, more opinionated or clever than we might appear in our everyday lives? I remember prank phone calls being a typical middle school way to get into a little mischief and “be” someone else.
I also recall hearing that drivers sometimes act more aggressively behind the wheel than they might in person. There’s something about the anonymity of being surrounded by glass and operating a powerful machine that gets a person revved up.
But what about the anonymity, or just the virtual distance, of being online? The internet seems to offer up the perfect forum to enhance or alter yourself a little. In Screenagers, girls talk about how they touch up their Instagram and Facebook photos before they post. Witty retorts in group texts or in social media comments can also earn you positive social media points.
In video games, players often create an avatar, which is their character in the game. You create your avatar’s look and choose your avatar’s accessories, weapons or car, for example.
And texting isn’t usually anonymous, but even when recipients know it’s you, the medium can embolden some people to behave differently than they might in person.
· Have you ever texted, emailed or made a social media comment that you would not say in person?
· Have you received texts, emails or online comments that you think wouldn’t have happened if you were face to face?
· Are you a different person in different online settings — more outrageous, more reserved, sillier, more serious, more confident, more attractive?
· What do you think about creating an online persona that’s different from your real-life personality?
Jared Cooney Horvath argues that the common defense of classroom technology — “there’s no definitive evidence of harm” — sets an unrealistic standard. Because ed tech evolves rapidly, product-specific causal trials are often impossible and ethically problematic. Instead, he points to converging evidence. In Utah, long-rising achievement scores reversed after digital tools became central in 2014, a pattern echoed in broader national and international data, raising concerns about large-scale tech adoption without clear evidence of benefit.
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Instagram’s new Teen Accounts are being promoted as safer for kids, but recent nationally representative data tells a more complicated story. This post invites families to take a research-based quiz together and have a calm, curiosity-driven conversation about what teens are actually experiencing on the platform — and what that means for trust, safety, and screen time.
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It feels like we’re finally hitting a tipping point. The harms from social media in young people’s lives have been building for far too long, and bold solutions can’t wait any longer. That’s why what just happened in Australia is extremely exciting. Their new nationwide move marks one of the biggest attempts yet to protect kids online. And as we released a new podcast episode yesterday featuring a mother who lost her 14-year-old son after a tragic connection made through social media, I couldn’t help but think: this is exactly the kind of real-world action families have been desperate for. In today’s blog, I share five key things to understand about what Australia is doing because it’s big, it’s controversial, and it might just spark global change.
READ MORE >for more like this, DR. DELANEY RUSTON'S NEW BOOK, PARENTING IN THE SCREEN AGE, IS THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR TODAY’S PARENTS. WITH INSIGHTS ON SCREEN TIME FROM RESEARCHERS, INPUT FROM KIDS & TEENS, THIS BOOK IS PACKED WITH SOLUTIONS FOR HOW TO START AND SUSTAIN PRODUCTIVE FAMILY TALKS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND IT’S IMPACT ON OUR MENTAL WELLBEING.
