The Oneida City School District is hosting two free film screenings of documentaries that explore the impact of screen time on kids and how parents and educators can help them achieve a healthy balance.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to provide the district with input regarding a school district cell phone policy. New York State Governor Kathy Hochul has mandated a “bell-to-bell cell phone ban,” which goes into effect in September 2025.

Screenagers: Elementary School Age Edition

A viewing of Screenagers: Elementary School Age Edition will be held on Tuesday, June 17th at 6:00 p.m. in the High School Library. No pre-registration is required.

The documentary is approximately one hour long and is appropriate for parents, caregivers, and educators.

Synopsis

Are you watching kids become too accustomed to using technology at too young an age? Physician and filmmaker Delaney Ruston saw that with her kids and learned that the average kid spends many hours a day looking at screens. She wondered about the impact of all this screen time and the friction occurring in homes and schools around negotiating screen time.

‍In Screenagers: Elementary School Age Edition, Dr. Ruston takes a deeply personal approach as she explores the vulnerable corners of family life, including her own, to explore struggles over social media, video games, academics, and internet addiction.

‍Through insights from authors, psychologists, and brain scientists, Screenagers: Elementary School Age Edition reveals how tech time impacts kids’ development and offers solutions for empowering kids to navigate the digital world and find balance.

View the trailer on YouTube.