Spring Speaker

Ana Homayoun, author of Social Media Wellness, will speak at the McLean Community Center on April 29th from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

We are also planning our traditional programs (Ethics Day and Prom Cards) along with programs addressing our 2019-2020 theme: Social Media Wellness.

More than 2 billion people have smartphones today. And we check our phones on average an incredible 150 times every day. Technology makes our lives easier in so many ways ― but what is the cost of our dependence, and our children’s reliance, on screens?

As part of a yearlong focus on social media wellness, the Safe Community Coalition, in conjunction with the PTSAs of Langley High School and McLean High School, hosted two screenings of the compelling new IndieFlix Original documentary “LIKE” at Langley and McLean High Schools. Nearly 400 students and parents attended! Check out these tips we learned! Langley High also showed the film to freshman and sophomores and McLean showed it to freshmen. Ask them about it!

“LIKE” reveals the true effects of technology on the brain and uncovers the impact social media can have on our lives. The film’s mission is to educate, inform and inspire people to effectively self-regulate their screen time. The film features interviews with experts including Max Stossel, Head of Education & Content at Center for Humane Technology; Leah Pearlman,Co-Creator of the Facebook “Like” button; Dr. Jerry Bubrick, Senior Psychologist at Child Mind Institute; Professor Jevin West, DataLab, iSchool, University of Washington; John Borthwick, CEO of Betaworks; and Professor Katie Davis, author of The App Generation.

After the film, Dr. Clifford Sussman, a DC-based psychiatrist and expert on helping people achieve a more balanced relationship with digital technology, led a Q&A.

If your child is active on any kind of social media, you need these resources. Find out more about the film at www.thelikemovie.com, including options for additional screenings.