So many amazing documentaries, so little time! December is always super packed for everyone I know, so I am going right to the heart of the matter: I have some wonderful documentaries to suggest.
Whether you can catch one of these with your child on a rainy weekend day or holiday evening, these films provide excellent fodder for loving conversations.
Remember to check out the trailer and ratings of the documentaries to ensure they will be appropriate to watch with your kids
Full confession: I started watching this on the plane and enjoyed it so much that I stopped myself from finishing because I wanted to watch it with my kids over the holiday break. The movie follows Color Killer, a young punk rock band from Massachusetts. Chris Parnell from Saturday Night Live fame narrates. What I love about this doc is how it slips beyond the workings of an up-and-coming band in the punk scene into real-life funny moments between the kids and their parents, which are priceless. As a filmmaker, I know how hard these gems are to capture.
This film is great for older elementary and middle school agers in particular, as well as high schoolers. The film follows nine high school students from around the world as they embark on their science projects for an international Science and Engineering Fair. It’s fascinating to see how they handle disappointments, problems, and rivalries that arise along the way. One theme that comes up a couple of times relates to risk-taking and teen substance use --things addressed in my latest film, Screenagers Under The Influence. A wonderful section of the film features high school junior Kashfia, who enlists the help of a losing sports coach (their team lost 9 out of 9 competitions) to help her project about risk-taking among teens. Other projects include arsenic testing, airplane propulsion and Zika virus testing.
While not strictly a documentary, our podcast takes an investigative approach to the broad range of topics we cover. I'm super proud of our latest episode: "What Do We Really Know About Teen Vaping?" which just released yesterday. Join me as we dive into the world of teens, vaping, and the cunning tactics e-cigarette companies use on social media. We'll uncover the health hazards of vaping, examine how influencers glamorize it, and expose deceptive marketing strategies.
Listen Here: Website // Apple Podcasts // Spotify
Check out these short previews for this episode!:
Ok... back to the list!
This film had me bawling a couple of times — always in the most wonderful way. It fills you with intense compassion. I immediately emailed friends to let them know it was a must-see film. The movie, an adaptation of Dustin Lance Black’s book of the same name, deep dives into the Academy Award-winning screenwriter’s relationship with his mother. Black, who is gay, wrote and directed the movie Milk, about slain LGBT activist Harvey Milk, for which he won an Oscar. In one scene, we see how his mom sits with her son’s friends and ultimately becomes accepting of her son, it is incredibly profound. It is key that our teens see stories of such change because research shows us that one of the most effective ways for people to overcome prejudices of all types, is to spend time with people that they have these views about.
"Hi, I'm Nancy Rubin" is an HBO documentary about Nancy Rubin, an innovative high school teacher at Berkeley High School in California during the 1980s-90s. She tasked her students with writing letters to their future selves, promising to mail them years later. Over 42 years, Rubin mailed over 10,000 letters, with only three remaining. This docuseries, a Banff Rockie Award nominee, explores the profound impact of these letters and Rubin's teaching approach on her students' lives.
Netflix’s "Big Vape" is a well-done 4-part series that reveals JUUL’s rapid growth and how it impacted youth health. At its height, the company was valued at $38 billion, but deceitful marketing targeting adolescents, regulatory battles and devasting health consequences from using the product brought the company down. The movie offers a critical look at the ethical dilemmas and societal implications of the big business of vape culture.
My son was always squeamish about bugs, particularly beetle-type bugs that would suddenly fly. This is why this documentary is a great find. For young kids, this could be just the ticket to open up their eyes to the wonder of all things with wings. For me, it was mind-bending to learn how bats travel in the desert to pollinate cacti. The footage is literally jaw-dropping. The pace of this film is slow, and the narration is meditative in tone. I appreciated getting into that flow since so many movies have quite the opposite vibe.
And finally, here is one from Rebecca, on our Screenagers Team, which I plan to watch over the break and hope my kids will join me.
Heartache. Joy. Devastation. Resurrection. Survival. Beauty. You feel it all as you go along for an emotional and inspiring ride with the insanely talented Jon Batiste and his equally prolific wife, journalist, artist, and musician, Suleika Jouaud Batiste. While she is embarking on a life-saving bone marrow transplant, having been diagnosed with leukemia again after a 10-year remission, Batiste is simultaneously caring for his wife, composing his first symphony, and riding the wave of its 12 Grammy nominations. The sheer juxtaposition of their worlds is dizzying, but Batiste and Jouaud do not fall and break. They only get stronger. More than just a love story and show of resilience in the face of devastating circumstances, this movie is a real-time example of perseverance and dedication to your dreams amid crisis. A must-see for aspiring teens and adults alike.
Screenagers Blog | 2021: 12 Documentaries To Watch With Your Family
Screenagers Blog | 2020: 11 Documentaries for Your Family
Screenagers Blog | 2017: 10 Documentaries to Watch With Your Family
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So many amazing documentaries, so little time! December is always super packed for everyone I know, so I am going right to the heart of the matter: I have some wonderful documentaries to suggest.
Whether you can catch one of these with your child on a rainy weekend day or holiday evening, these films provide excellent fodder for loving conversations.
Remember to check out the trailer and ratings of the documentaries to ensure they will be appropriate to watch with your kids
Full confession: I started watching this on the plane and enjoyed it so much that I stopped myself from finishing because I wanted to watch it with my kids over the holiday break. The movie follows Color Killer, a young punk rock band from Massachusetts. Chris Parnell from Saturday Night Live fame narrates. What I love about this doc is how it slips beyond the workings of an up-and-coming band in the punk scene into real-life funny moments between the kids and their parents, which are priceless. As a filmmaker, I know how hard these gems are to capture.
This film is great for older elementary and middle school agers in particular, as well as high schoolers. The film follows nine high school students from around the world as they embark on their science projects for an international Science and Engineering Fair. It’s fascinating to see how they handle disappointments, problems, and rivalries that arise along the way. One theme that comes up a couple of times relates to risk-taking and teen substance use --things addressed in my latest film, Screenagers Under The Influence. A wonderful section of the film features high school junior Kashfia, who enlists the help of a losing sports coach (their team lost 9 out of 9 competitions) to help her project about risk-taking among teens. Other projects include arsenic testing, airplane propulsion and Zika virus testing.
While not strictly a documentary, our podcast takes an investigative approach to the broad range of topics we cover. I'm super proud of our latest episode: "What Do We Really Know About Teen Vaping?" which just released yesterday. Join me as we dive into the world of teens, vaping, and the cunning tactics e-cigarette companies use on social media. We'll uncover the health hazards of vaping, examine how influencers glamorize it, and expose deceptive marketing strategies.
Listen Here: Website // Apple Podcasts // Spotify
Check out these short previews for this episode!:
Ok... back to the list!
I have ten podcast recommendations today. These episodes focus on family and tech—surprise, surprise! Similar to past recommendations, I am particularly focused on episodes of shows I think will be wonderful to listen to with youth. You can pre-listen, find a section you like, and ask your kiddo to do a 7-minute post-dinner listening session on the couch.
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Whether you are headed off on vacation journeys or just spending time at home during the holidays, I have some mind-opening podcast suggestions to listen to with the whole family. It can be fun to listen to only parts of any of these suggestions to allow more time for talking and then finish them at the next drive or sitting.
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With summer in full swing, it's the perfect opportunity to catch up on any of my Screenagers’ Tech Talk Tuesdays you may have missed (I know today is Wednesday, not Tuesday, but I wanted to respect the holiday). During the school year, there are scores of obligations to attend to. Hopefully, things have slowed a bit, and you can grab a glass of iced tea and read from this curated list of my most-read blog posts from the last 12 months.
READ MORE >for more like this, DR. DELANEY RUSTON'S NEW BOOK, PARENTING IN THE SCREEN AGE, IS THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR TODAY’S PARENTS. WITH INSIGHTS ON SCREEN TIME FROM RESEARCHERS, INPUT FROM KIDS & TEENS, THIS BOOK IS PACKED WITH SOLUTIONS FOR HOW TO START AND SUSTAIN PRODUCTIVE FAMILY TALKS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND IT’S IMPACT ON OUR MENTAL WELLBEING.
