Ed. Note: This article is a press release provided by Screenagers event officials.

Sierra Vista Junior High and Canyon High School are partnering together to show a special documentary. “Screenagers” which will be shown at Canyon High’s new performing arts building on Monday, May 9 from 7-8:30 p.m., according to event officials.

It will be an educational time and a wonderful resource for parents raising children in today’s world with screens and devices, according to event officials.

“This film raises emotions and fears of our children being addicted to their devices, harmful effects and social concerns as well,” said event officials.

There will be a facilitator to answer questions after the screening, and Hart District Director of Student Services Kathy Hunter will be leading the discussions.

“We believe in the importance of parents helping children find a healthy balance with screen time. This is challenging.,” said event officials. “Our Screenagers team is made up of parents who know this all too well.”

Follow this link to the website for the trailer and more info.

Additional information and resources on screen time:

Family Screen Time Conversations

To be effective in influencing your children on this issue, begin by committing to have many short, calm and caring conversations. Start with this guide and continue by participating in Tech Talk Tuesdays using conversation prompts from the Screenagers website.

Some things to consider before you begin

1. There may be a lot of built up tension about these topics in your home. That is normal! Parents often express anxiety and frustration, and children may feel defensive.
2. Keep in mind that a big goal is to help everyone become more conscious of when and why they use technology and how it affects self esteem, social skills, relationships, work, academics and more. Being conscious is key to making realistic use guidelines.
3. Start conversations by encouraging everyone to share positive aspects of technology in their lives. Then move on to ideas about when screens should be turned off.
4. Include your own technology behavior goals in the conversations. Finding balance is a joint family project, not one of adults versus kids.
5. Stick with it — over time, these conversations build trust and understanding so behaviors can really change.

Some discussion questions:

•  How much time do you think kids in the U.S. spend looking at a screen on average? (Kids spend an average of 6.5 hours a day on screens, not including classroom or homework screen time, according to a 2015 Common Sense Media report.)
• How much time do adults spend on their phones? How about teens?
• How much time do you think you spend every week on screen-related activities? (Turn this into a non­judgmental tech use inventory family game and guess what each person wrote.)
• How often do you multitask? Do you think it affects you in any way? (A study by Common Sense Media reports that nearly two thirds of teens do not think watching television, texting or using social media while doing homework has an impact on them. Meanwhile, research has shown that when people “task shift” — tackle multiple tasks simultaneously — they are less effective than when they do one task at a time. The brain is not capable of focusing on two mental activities at once, and thus the idea that multitasking boosts performance is a myth.)
• What activities do you like that don’t involve screens? (Think of offline activities that are valuable and fun like playing outside, sports, music, reading, hobbies, community service, family time and even chores.)
• Does using screens change your brain? (The film featured a study in which baby mice exposed to screen time developed fewer cells in the areas of learning and memory than non­exposed mice. Could this prove true for humans too?)
• Why do so many video games involve violence? (First­-person shooter games were first developed by the military to decrease sensitivity to shooting people. What are some popular games that don’t involve violence?)
• Have you seen social media affect our behavior? (Have you experienced people using screens to avoid face-­to-­face interactions or make comments they would not make in person?)