Kamloops parents invited to check out second 'Screenagers' film

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Equipping teens with the tools they need to navigate our "current screen-filled society" is the topic of a newly released on-demand film.

Filmmaker and physician Dr. Delaney Ruston is out with her second Screenagers documentary. Next Chapter: Uncovering Skills for Stress Resilience examines the science behind teens' emotional challenges, the interplay of social media and what can be done in schools and in homes to help adolescents build the skills to navigate stress, anxiety and depression in the digital age. 

The second film follows Ruston as she finds herself at a loss on how to help her own teens as they struggle with their emotional well-being. 

"We witness Delaney as she finds her way from ineffective parenting to much-improved strategies," states an online-write up about the movie. The doc shares other families' stories and looks at outside-the-classroom ideas that schools are championing. A number of experts are also brought in to share their wisdom.

"I think what they’re really trying to focus on is that mental wellness for teenagers is quite complex these days. There’s a lot pressures upon them and also they’re exposed to such a high degree of information and connectivity, that that really weighs on them," says Grant Reilly, SD73's district principal of inclusive education, pointing to social media and the associated screen time.

One of the things the Kamloops-Thompson School District is doing around mental well-being is a program called, "Stop Wondering. Start Knowing." Teachers of Grade 6 to 9 students work with their pupils throughout the year.

"We're trying to get teens to start thinking about their mental wellness. ... Mental wellness is really that big scope of understanding my feelings and getting a sense of when I'm feeling really good about things, or maybe when I have some worries, and then what do I do around that," Reilly explains. "We want to make sure those conversations and those chances for kids to monitor their own mental wellness are starting to occur because we’re worried there’s a bit of a void around that if we don’t address that in our schools."

Reilly notes each school has counsellors on hand, should one be needed. 

He says if parents are worried about their child and aren't sure what to do, to call the school.

"Reaching out to us is a good first step."

On the topic of screen time, Reilly says it's important for parents to have some boundaries, including the location of a cellphone or other device. If it's in their room, that could impede the amount of sleep they get, he adds.

"One of the challenges is that teens are always on. What I mean by that is with their extensive connectivity to peers through social media, and just in general online platforms… some of them feel the sense that they always have to be connected, they always have to be available, whereas before that explosion of social media, there was a chance for downtime where teens didn’t have to be connected all the time.

"Having those devices there [in their room at night] really puts a challenge on kids to get sleep, because they do want to be connected, so if a friend Instagrams them at 11 p.m. or Snapchats them or whatever, often times they want to respond," Reilly says.

Parents who want to watch Screenagers are asked to register first. You can do so here. The film will be on demand until Dec. 13.