Directory

Delaney Ruston

Filmmaker & PhysicianStony Brook, NYStory & Photos by Lauri Levenfeld

Thinking about our teens- their cell phones and the time they spend on their screens makes most parents crazy, sick with worry, and most definitely, unsure about how to navigate it all. While technology is a beautiful tool to give our children access and means to learning, it is also the culprit of time spent away from real social interaction, family-time and school work. When physician Delaney Ruston found her two teenage children growing more committed and preoccupied by their screens, Ruston’s anxiety grew. And her questions as to how to rectify the situation gave her cause to turn a film camera on her own family to document their struggles, while researching to find answers in other people’s experiences. Her anxiety turned to hope as her discussions with adults and children signified that we all are new to this and scrambling to find the right answers and path, but through dialog and community we will pave a way. With this Screenagers was born, another documentary where Ruston puts her personal life in the camera’s eye to explore a larger societal issue. This is a story about a woman, a mom, and a caretaker working her best to shed light and change circumstances for those individuals and issues under addressed by society.

 

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