Conversation Starters

Movies, books and other media to get the conversation started in your home.

Parents, please preview these before sharing with your children.

TV and Movies 

Adolescence

(2025 · TV-MA Netflix series · 4 episodes, approx. 55m each) 

Topics: Digital footprint, parental naivety, “Red Pill” ideology, social media, cyberbullying, social comparison, mental health, teen-on-teen crime, 80/20 Dating Rule, manosphere, generational trauma, incel subculture, masculinity

 

Searching

(2018 · PG-13 · 1h 42m) 

Topics: Loss of a parent, digital footprint, online relationships, parental naivety, social media, teen subculture, catfishing, teen-on-teen crime  

 

Trust

(2010 · R · 1h 45m)

Topics: Parental naivety, grooming, catfishing, familial trauma, revenge porn, suicidal ideation, best practices for devices

 

Documentaries and Special Reports

Childhood 2.0

(2020 · 1h 28m)

Topics: Generational shifts in childhood, early digital exposure, social media, social comparison, body image, screen addiction, social media addiction, cyberbullying, online relationships, parental naivety, pornography, sexting, suicidal ideation, child predators, grooming.  Middle School and High School versions available.

 

Follow This: Tech Addict

(2018 · Netflix · BuzzFeed mini documentary · 20m)  

Topics: Digital wellness, tech addiction, social media, acquired ADHD, smartphone stress response, tech addiction detox and rehabilitation, video game addiction, male isolation epidemic, mental health, attention engineering

 

Follow This: The Internet Whisperers

(2018 · Netflix · BuzzFeed mini documentary · 18m)  

Topics: Artificial intimacy, escapism, sensory therapy, ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response)

 

Follow This: The Future of Fakes

(2018 · Netflix · BuzzFeed mini documentary · 17m) 

Topics: AI (Artificial Intelligence), deepfake technology, misinformation, audio/visual manipulation, posthumous digital recreation, digital footprint, digital puppetry, photoshop victimhood, revenge porn, selfie safety, internet governance, ethical use of technology, selfie spoofing 

 

Generation Like

(2014 · Frontline Documentary · 53m) 

Topics: Social Media, teen mental health, self-image, selfie manipulation, social comparison, identity, teen subculture, social media addiction, digital footprint, online marketing, affirmation addiction, parental naivety

 

Screenagers

(2016 · Documentary · 1h 10m · Available only by community screening) 

Topics: Social Media, teen mental health, self-image, social media addiction, identity, teen subculture, digital footprint, screen addiction, family erosion, parental naivety, video games

 

Screentime

(2019 · Diane Sawyer Special Report)  

Topics: Personal and familial digital wellness, family erosion, screen addiction 

 

Sextortion: The Hidden Pandemic

(2022 · Documentary · 1h 24m)  

Topics: Digital footprint, parental naivety, online relationships, grooming, sexting, sextortion, suicidal ideation

 

Social Animals

(2018 · Documentary · 1h 27m) 

Topics: Social media, mental health, teen subculture, social media addiction, Instagram, sexting, teen dating, viral media, misinformation, cyberbullying, self-image, identity, social comparison, digital footprint, selfie manipulation, online stalking, online predators, self-harm, suicidal ideation, parental naivety, screen fasting 

 

The Search for Instagram’s Worst Con Artist

(2023 · Netflix Documentary · 2 episodes, 47m each) 

Topics: Digital footprint, charity scams, mental illness, social media, misinformation, AI, power of influencers, familial estrangements, affirmation addiction, viral media, internet governance

 

The Social Dilemma

(2020 · Drama/Docudrama · 1h 29m) 

Topics: Family values, parental naivety, social media, online extremism, manipulation, mental health, targeted advertising, data harvesting, algorithms, digital wellness, screen addiction, misinformation, ethical use of technology

 

Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist

(2022 · Netflix Documentary · 124m) 

Topics: Family values, social media, digital footprint, online relationships, gender and identity, manipulation, catfishing

 

You’re Losing Your Kids to Social Media

(2018 · Internet Safety presentation by Officer Gomez · 1h 43m) 

Topics: Family values, parental naivety, social media, smartphones, grooming, predators, sexting, cyberbullying, popular apps, best practices for devices