The Rhinebeck Central School District community will welcome filmmaker, author and Stanford-trained physician Delaney Ruston as she addresses the challenges of growing up in the social media and smartphone era on Nov. 21.
Ruston will speak to students in grades four through 12 in three assemblies during the school day and will return at 6:30 p.m. for a community event titled Parenting Screenagers: Tips for Success.
“Families in the Rhinebeck school district have voiced concern around screen time, cell phone use and social media over the course of the last few years. This has always been a topic of our K-12 counseling committee which has parents on it,” said Emily Davison, director of pupil personnel services.
“The expectation is parents will come away with an understanding of the ways they can support their children in making smart choices around cellphone use, their role as parents and recognize they are part of a community working to come up with solutions on the same topic.
“I look forward to students coming away with some new understandings and some simple ways to make small adjustments that will ultimately make big difference[IG1] in their lives.”
Ruston is known for a series of documentary films on the topic of screen time: “Screenagers,” which takes a look at solutions for healthy screen time; “Screenagers NEXT CHAPTER,” which explores teen mental health; “Screenagers Under the Influence,” which addresses vaping, drugs and alcohol in the digital age, and Screenagers: Elementary School Age Edition,” which looks at the challenges facing elementary-aged children, parents and educators.
“I began filmmaking for one reason—to use the power of real-life moments to ignite emotions that could foster change,” said Ruston on her website.
Davison is excited Ruston is sharing her knowledge and expertise with the Rhinebeck community.
“We hope it’s going to be informative, useful, community building and reinforce what our schools have put into place which is creating healthy relationships and balance with our cellphones,” she said.