Screenagers Documentary

Physician and filmmaker Delaney Ruston is scheduled to screen her documentary, “Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age,” and participate in a question-and-answer session 5:30-7:15 p.m. Tuesday at Christ Episcopal Church and Ventana School, 1040 Border Road, Los Altos.

“Screenagers” is the first feature documentary to explore the impact of screen technology on children, who spend on average 6.5 hours per day in front of screens, and to offer practical solutions.

The film’s subject has particular resonance in Silicon Valley, and for Ruston, the connection is also personal.

Ruston decided to make “Screenagers” when she found herself constantly struggling with her two children about screen time. Hearing how other parents were equally overwhelmed, she began to research what she came to see as one of the biggest, unexplored parenting issues of the time.

She turned the camera on her own family and others to probe struggles over social media, video games, academics and internet addiction. Ruston’s aim was not only to expose the risks of screen time, but also to spark conversations between adults and teens and offer ways for kids to achieve a healthy balance.

Ruston is also known for the award-winning films “Unlisted: A Story of Schizophrenia” and “Hidden Pictures: A Personal Journey into Global Mental Health,” both of which aired on PBS and were the focus of national campaigns.

The organizers of the screening, the Ventana School Education Connection, encourage parents to bring their children. Child care and a pizza dinner will be available for children ages 2 and up, with advance tickets required. Teens are urged to attend and take part in the conversations. Tickets for ages 12 and up are $20, and child care tickets are $10.

For tickets and more information, call the Ventana School office at 948-2121 or visit tinyurl.com/screenagersfilm.