Office on Youth will host social media addiction seminar in Waynesboro

STAUNTON, Va. (WHSV) – The Central Shenandoah Valley Youth Office will present a screening of “Screenagers Under the Influence” to educate teens and parents about the dangers of social media addiction.

The film is part of a documentary series highlighting different stories of teenagers and young adults struggling with internet addiction. The film addresses the connections between social media use and vaping, drug and alcohol use.

The Youth Office hopes the film serves as a wake-up call for families in the Vale.

“We were seeing trends growing and we didn’t have the best solutions,” said Grace Deshong, district supervisor for the Office of Youth. “We feel this would be a great entry for the docuseries to allow families and children alike to really know what the dangers are and what realistic solutions can occur.”

According to Deshong, movies will be a resource they have never had before. She hopes the film will reach students who are in similar situations to the children in the film.

“These are real-life scenarios, these are real kids, real young adults in these docuseries,” Deshong said. “Hopefully that kind of light happens here in our community, and these are kids that I can see and relate to and understand that they’re going through the same struggles and how they went through the same struggles. fights.”

The film is not limited to social media users. Deshong said the gaming community is also at risk because people don’t know who is behind the online ID.

“It lets these kids know that you have to really pay attention to what’s out there,” Deshong said. “Not everyone is who they say they are and how vulnerable you can be when you have these online interactions with potential strangers.”

The film will be screened at the Wayne Theater on October 29 at 6:00 p.m. After the film, there will be a panel discussion for parents and students to interact with.