Is the amount of screentime impacting our students’ health and wellbeing? Are we seeing an increase in mental health problems due to an increased use of social media? What can parents and schools do to help students find balance and learn appropriate communication skills? These are just a few of the questions that the new movie Screenagers NEXT CHAPTER: Uncovering Skills for Stress Resilience was developed to address.
Close to 100 of our parents and students came together on the evening of Monday, October 21 for a premiere screening of the movie and follow-up discussion. The movie shared current research and highlighted stories from teenagers and families who are working through both mental health and screentime challenges.Some of the main takeaways for parents from the movie and discussion included:
- Validate our children’s feelings more and problem-solve for them less.
- Model talking with them about your own emotions and how you manage your own so they can learn how to talk about and manage their own emotions.
- Support your child in prioritizing sleep since it directly impacts not only their attention but also their mental health.
- Set screen curfews at your house that EVERYONE (including the adults) abide by (do what you expect them to do).
- Prioritize face-to-face time with your teens, and encourage them to do the same with their friends.
- Teach your child the “3 Ex’s of Worry” from author Lynn Lyon: Expect that worry will often come up and practice accepting it; Externalize your worry by pulling it out of your head and personifying it, saying “Hello, worry.” Experiment with how you handle your worry by doing the opposite of what it demands.
- Seek support for you as a parent from fellow parents or resources at school — we are all navigating this new terrain together!
Download this Parent Guide from Screenagers for more information, guidance and strategies. Thank you to our Student Support Services team for planning this important premiere screening and for always being available to help with these health and well-being challenges and conversations!