STAUNTON, Va. (ROCKTOWN NOW) – The Central Shenandoah Valley Office on Youth is bringing the documentary ‘Screenagers Under the Influence’ to the community along with classroom lessons that highlight the dangers of constant connection to the internet, social media, screentime, and the impact it has on teens’ decision-making in relation to vaping, drugs, and alcohol.

The Office on Youth has included the Screenagers Project as part of the current PREP (Personal Responsibility Education Program) curriculum in Waynesboro and Staunton City Schools. To make the documentary available to a wider audience, the Office on Youth will host a community screening followed by a panel discussion.

The documentary explores the latest research and highlights the changing landscape that teens and families must navigate in an evolving digital age. The film also offers solutions for how to best empower teens as they face decisions about what they will and will not be influenced by, and is grounded in teens’ current reality of being flooded by images on social media, movies, and TV shows about vaping, drugs and alcohol.

This documentary is part of a trilogy developed by Dr. Delaney Ruston, a physician and documentary filmmaker. Ruston notes that she struggled with her own children about screen time. As a clinician, she heard repeatedly how other parents were equally overwhelmed, and realized it was one of the biggest, unexplored parenting issues of our time.

The Central Shenandoah Valley Office on Youth applied for and received a grant through Augusta Health, funding the Screenagers Project licensure and resources for the next three years.

‘Screenagers Under the Influence’ will be shown at the Wayne Theater on Tuesday, Oct. 29, with a reception starting at 6 p.m. and the film showing at 7 p.m.

Registration for the community screening can be found here.