I am super happy to share the news that our film, Screenagers Under the Influence: Addressing Vaping, Drugs, and Alcohol in the Digital Age, has been updated by the Screenagers team and I.
Let me say a little about this and then offer in this blog a little quiz to use to bring up substances and alcohol with your tweens and teens.
In the updated film, we’ve added coverage of nicotine pouches, the most popular being ZYN, and refreshed key sections so the film feels completely current.
We know that staying current is very important to teen viewers, which is a big reason our other films Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age and Screenagers Next Chapter have already been updated.
Topics covered through true stories and cutting-edge science include vaping, nicotine pouches, alcohol, opioids, mushrooms, cannabis, and the process addictions of video gaming.
We have a full version of the film (which is just over an hour) for use at community screening events, a student/classroom version, discussion and education guides, and lots of other resources related to the film, all set to go!
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!
Here are some true or false prompts from topics covered in the film that you can share with your teen today.
If your teen has already seen Screenagers Under the Influence, these will reinforce their learning. If not, learn more about the movie and watch the trailer here and consider emailing your child’s school to suggest a school screening.
False.
Unfortunately, while parents and others are working hard to bring about needed change in companies, such as Snapchat, substances of all types, including pills laced with fentanyl, remain widely available online.
Disappearing messages, app anonymity, and endless connections on social media make access even easier. We need to have regular conversations with young people about this.
“Drug dealing in today’s day and age has gone from brick-and-mortar buildings to social media and apps like Snapchat, Instagram, WeChat, TikTok, and even Twitter … The detective told me, ‘Your son died from fentanyl.’”
- Jaime, father of a son who died after buying opioids online (quote from Screenagers Under The Influence)
False.
Fifteen-year-olds in France are three times more likely to report binge drinking than the same-age group in the U.S.
So the idea that making alcohol more accepted makes it safer for teens does not hold up.
False.
Teen brains are uniquely vulnerable: alcohol impairs self-control more strongly in adolescents, making it harder to pause or stop once drinking begins.
“When I was drinking, I wasn’t behaving in a way that I wanted to be perceived. It also came with a lot of lost friendships.”
- Rhana, now a PhD in drug education (quote from Screenagers Under The Influence)
False.
Research shows that early drinking predicts heavier drinking and more harm later in life.
“I didn’t allow the kids to have their friends over to drink or smoke … I didn’t want to sanction it … I didn’t know what was going on in their friends’ families … I didn’t want to make those decisions for those kids or those families.”
- Lisa, parent (quote from Screenagers Under The Influence)
False.
“I was in total denial. I imagined this was just normal teenage behavior … She’ll manage it … she’ll smoke weed in moderation … it’s all part of growing up.”
- Father of a girl who shares her weed addiction story (quote from Screenagers Under The Influence)
Addiction to cannabis absolutely can, and increasingly does, occur. Teens facing mental health challenges are at greater risk, as they may turn to cannabis as a coping tool.
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
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel! We add new videos regularly and you'll find over 100 videos covering parenting advice, guidance, podcasts, movie clips and more. Here's our most recent:
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.
I am super happy to share the news that our film, Screenagers Under the Influence: Addressing Vaping, Drugs, and Alcohol in the Digital Age, has been updated by the Screenagers team and I.
Let me say a little about this and then offer in this blog a little quiz to use to bring up substances and alcohol with your tweens and teens.
In the updated film, we’ve added coverage of nicotine pouches, the most popular being ZYN, and refreshed key sections so the film feels completely current.
We know that staying current is very important to teen viewers, which is a big reason our other films Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age and Screenagers Next Chapter have already been updated.
Topics covered through true stories and cutting-edge science include vaping, nicotine pouches, alcohol, opioids, mushrooms, cannabis, and the process addictions of video gaming.
We have a full version of the film (which is just over an hour) for use at community screening events, a student/classroom version, discussion and education guides, and lots of other resources related to the film, all set to go!
Here are some true or false prompts from topics covered in the film that you can share with your teen today.
If your teen has already seen Screenagers Under the Influence, these will reinforce their learning. If not, learn more about the movie and watch the trailer here and consider emailing your child’s school to suggest a school screening.
False.
Unfortunately, while parents and others are working hard to bring about needed change in companies, such as Snapchat, substances of all types, including pills laced with fentanyl, remain widely available online.
Disappearing messages, app anonymity, and endless connections on social media make access even easier. We need to have regular conversations with young people about this.
“Drug dealing in today’s day and age has gone from brick-and-mortar buildings to social media and apps like Snapchat, Instagram, WeChat, TikTok, and even Twitter … The detective told me, ‘Your son died from fentanyl.’”
- Jaime, father of a son who died after buying opioids online (quote from Screenagers Under The Influence)
False.
Fifteen-year-olds in France are three times more likely to report binge drinking than the same-age group in the U.S.
So the idea that making alcohol more accepted makes it safer for teens does not hold up.
False.
Teen brains are uniquely vulnerable: alcohol impairs self-control more strongly in adolescents, making it harder to pause or stop once drinking begins.
“When I was drinking, I wasn’t behaving in a way that I wanted to be perceived. It also came with a lot of lost friendships.”
- Rhana, now a PhD in drug education (quote from Screenagers Under The Influence)
False.
Research shows that early drinking predicts heavier drinking and more harm later in life.
“I didn’t allow the kids to have their friends over to drink or smoke … I didn’t want to sanction it … I didn’t know what was going on in their friends’ families … I didn’t want to make those decisions for those kids or those families.”
- Lisa, parent (quote from Screenagers Under The Influence)
False.
“I was in total denial. I imagined this was just normal teenage behavior … She’ll manage it … she’ll smoke weed in moderation … it’s all part of growing up.”
- Father of a girl who shares her weed addiction story (quote from Screenagers Under The Influence)
Addiction to cannabis absolutely can, and increasingly does, occur. Teens facing mental health challenges are at greater risk, as they may turn to cannabis as a coping tool.
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel! We add new videos regularly and you'll find over 100 videos covering parenting advice, guidance, podcasts, movie clips and more. Here's our most recent:
Sign up here to receive the weekly Tech Talk Tuesdays newsletter from Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD.
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I am super happy to share the news that our film, Screenagers Under the Influence: Addressing Vaping, Drugs, and Alcohol in the Digital Age, has been updated by the Screenagers team and I.
Let me say a little about this and then offer in this blog a little quiz to use to bring up substances and alcohol with your tweens and teens.
In the updated film, we’ve added coverage of nicotine pouches, the most popular being ZYN, and refreshed key sections so the film feels completely current.
We know that staying current is very important to teen viewers, which is a big reason our other films Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age and Screenagers Next Chapter have already been updated.
Topics covered through true stories and cutting-edge science include vaping, nicotine pouches, alcohol, opioids, mushrooms, cannabis, and the process addictions of video gaming.
We have a full version of the film (which is just over an hour) for use at community screening events, a student/classroom version, discussion and education guides, and lots of other resources related to the film, all set to go!
We are thrilled to announce the newly updated version of our groundbreaking original film, Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age. Award-winning and thought-provoking, the film is now more relevant than ever. The updated film features fresh insights, including from Jonathan Haidt, author of Anxious Generation, and several others.
READ MORE >
We all want good news — contrary to mainstream news, which focuses on all that is going wrong, we humans want and need a healthy dose of daily good news, right? I bet you agree, and thank you for reading this blog, which is focused on good news (including news about love). A week ago, I was on a stage, on a panel, in front of many Attorney General at their yearly national conference, and I said these words: “I am optimistic.”
READ MORE >
I am over the moon jazzed to introduce the trailer for our new film, Screenagers: Elementary School Edition. So much work has gone into this film. My team and I wanted it to be attention-worthy and, above all, exceedingly useful. Screen time seeps into the lives of younger and younger kids. Parents struggle with what to do. How much time is okay for entertainment screen time? How to set limits? How to handle meltdowns? What does science tell us about why and how to safeguard sleep in our digital age? And so much more.
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.
