St. James, NY - September 12, 2016 -  On Thursday, September 29, Harbor Country Day School will host a public screening of the acclaimed documentary Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age.

Created by Stony Brook resident, physician and award-winning filmmaker, Delaney Ruston,
Screenagers examines the impact “screen time” has on children’s development and offers solutions for how adults can empower children to best navigate the digital world to find balance in their lives.

The film will be followed by a panel discussion featuring experts in child psychology and education, as well as adolescents and parents of school-aged children.

What: Public screening of SCREENAGERS: Growing Up in the Digital Age
When: Thursday, September 29 from 7:00 p.m. until 9:30 p.m.
Where: Harbor Country Day School, 17 Three Sisters Road, St. James, NY 11780
How: Tickets ($10) are available here
Why: Today’s children have access to technology more than at any other time in history, which impacts children’s social and emotional development, academic success and relationships at home and at school. Through interviews with parents, physicians, psychologists and adolescents, Screenagers takes a deeply personal look at the struggles parents and children face over screen time -- and aims to help families find a balance between technology and the “unplugged” life.

About Harbor Country Day School
Founded in 1958 by conscientious parents, Harbor Country Day School is an independent, co-educational day school for children from preschool through 8 th grade situated in St. James’ Village of Head of the Harbor. The school employs a whole-child approach to education, wherein its rigorous curriculum is supported by a broad program in its academic, athletic, advisory, and visual and performing arts departments designed to develop all aspects of each child's talents and interests. Harbor Country Day School’s summer camp program, Camp Harbor, is among the leading summer camp programs on Long Island. The school’s mission to “cherish childhood, cultivate wonder, and inspire confident learners and leaders” underscores every child’s experience at Harbor Country Day School and ensures that all of its graduates are prepared to lead fulfilling lives filled with wonder, confidence, and many successes.

Harbor Country Day School is chartered by the New York State Board of Regents and is accredited by and a member of the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS).  It is a non-sectarian, nonprofit organization under section 501(c) (3) of the IRS Code governed by a self-perpetuating board of trustees.  For more information, visit www.hcdsny.org.   

About Delaney Ruston
Delaney Ruston is a filmmaker, doctor and mother of two. Through her company, MyDoc Productions, Delaney has made award-winning films such as Unlisted: A Story of Schizophrenia, about her father, and Hidden Pictures: A Personal Journey into Global Mental Health. These films aired on PBS, and were the focus of national campaigns to raise awareness about mental health and were featured at conferences by the World Health Organization. Delaney has been invited to screen her films and be a guest presenter to hundreds of worldwide audiences. She presents to a wide range of audiences ranging from school age children to The United Nations, The World Health Organization, Harvard and TEDX.

Film has been a passion of Delaney’s throughout her education at Cornell, Stanford and the University of California, San Francisco. She melded this interest with her medical training as a fellow in Ethics and Communication. While on the faculty at the University of Washington, she participated in a National Endowment for The Arts funded filmmaking program. She was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to make films in India. She is currently the Filmmaker in Residence at Stony Brook Medical Center, creating films that explore the intersection of health and society. Delaney has been providing care in underserved clinics for over a decade.