The Rotary Club of Manhasset is partnering with the Manhasset Coalition Against Substance Abuse for the screening of the movie “Screenagers” next week.
CASA Executive Director Jennifer DeSena said some of the group’s board members saw the movie at a Friends Academy screening last year and recommended the film for the series with the Rotary Club. It will be shown at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 6, at the Manhasset Public Library.
Janice Da Silva, Rotary Club co-president, said the goal of the free screening is to generate awareness for children as well as parents.
“We’ve been talking a lot about issues that spawn off from abuse and addictive behaviors in general, and technology, and the rapid growth in terms of usage and younger children being exposed, can lend itself to this bigger issue we’re trying to combat,” Da Silva said.
The 67-minute film by award-winning documentarian and physician Delaney Ruston was screened at Stony Brook University in July 2016, and DeSena said the event is targeted at adults but also teenagers and pre-teenagers.
According to Ruston, the average child spends 6.5 hours a day looking at screens.
DeSena said the movie shows children getting in trouble on social media and how a generation is losing personal communication skills while pushing parents to regulate screen time as well as remind children to play outside and away from screens regularly.
“It includes some guidelines for families to set some rules and boundaries as far as limiting hours and the need to remain active with the kids, maybe even proactive with how much screen time they get,” DeSena said.
DeSena said with the growing need for technology, many students are getting smartphones at younger ages, some as early as fifth grade.
“Before you buy that smartphone, you have to agree on the rules,” DeSena said. “Once they have it and they have free rein, it becomes a fight and a punishment. You want to understand the consequences before the consequences happen.”
For more information, email the Rotary Club of Manhasset at manhassetrotary@gmail.com.
