With such a rapid advancement in cell phone and computer technology throughout the last thirty years, the pros and cons of prolonged screen time have yet to be understood by researchers. Screenagers, a documentary on how screen time affects children in school and in life, was shown in the ACHS auditorium on Thursday, February 2 to several students and their parents.

The film, which has not been released to the general public, is only available through scheduled screenings. Many of those who attended felt that the message portrayed was strong.

“It really made me think about my use of things like my phone,” junior Tommy Cerney said. “The psychological and behavioral points that it made will definitely give me mixed feelings about using devices for myself and my future children.”

Last week, District 117 placed a firewall on popular mobile apps such as Netflix and Snapchat. This has removed major distractions in the classroom, limiting students to use their devices for select educational resources.
“I think our overall goal for students is to build responsibility to help them flourish after they leave,” Assistant Principal Meghan Bargar said. “I think we have an obligation to teach self control and responsibility with devices so that when [ACHS] students enter the workforce and college, they can manage their time in efficient ways.”