The Social Dilemma

Vail Christian High School students and faculty gather in small groups to watch and discuss The Social Dilemma, a Netflix documentary.

February 15, 2021 – Edwards, Colorado.

On Tuesday Feb.16th, Vail Christian High School students and faculty will view and discuss the docudrama, "The Social Dilemma" through their CONNECT Advisory Program.

Small, and safely socially distanced groups will attend the pre-movie discussion, movie viewing and follow-up discussions within their small CONNECT group. Students who are not physically present at school can join in for the discussion through the DTEN high-tech classroom technology and watch the movie at home with a Netflix subscription.

The Social Dilemma is a powerful docudrama in which Silicon Valley insiders expose ‘exploitative and addictive technology’ helping users understand how social media platforms work and how they impact us. By watching this together, the hope at VCHS is that the school community will develop a common vocabulary, better understand the intersection of social media and mental health/wellness and take action to better student lives and move towards a healthier alignment with who God created us to be.

“I’m excited for Tuesday afternoon’s the Social Dilemma viewing and discussion”, said Head of School, Steve O’Neil. “We are confident that this will be an enlightening and beneficial experience for our entire school community.”

“Young adults have enough going on in their brains, where their emotions constantly jostle for control. The last thing they need is for Artificial Intelligence to step in and manipulate them,” said O’Neil.

As with teaching, the more preparation put into a lesson, the better the result. Teachers have prepared by watching the movie ahead of time, studying a customized viewing guide with talking points designed specifically for VCHS students, and have viewed the 'official' discussion/action guide from The Social Dilemma website.

“Our teaching staff is prepared and ready to have meaningful discussions with students and I firmly believe it will make a positive difference in our students' lives -- healthier, happier, joyful, and more in line with who God designed them to be”, O’Neil said. “I’m praying that God will use this time to help our students more critically think through who they are and how social

media/technology may be robbing them of that wonderful and beautiful potential.”

Some concerning stats:

· Higher social media use correlates with self-reported declines in mental and physical health and life satisfaction (American Journal of Epidemiology, 2017)

· Anxiety disorders in adolescents increased 20 percent from 2007 to 2012. Today, 1 in 3 teens will experience an anxiety disorder, according to the National Institutes of Health.

· The percentage of teens who experienced at least one major depressive episode increased rapidly at about this same time, and now 1 out of about every 5 girls reports experiencing symptoms.

· The suicide rate for young people ages 15 to 19 increased by 76 percent from 2007 to 2017 and nearly tripled for adolescents ages 10 to 14. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for adolescents, after accidents, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For more information about Vail Christian High School, contact Heidi Cofelice, Director of Marketing at 970-926-3015 or hcofelice@vchsweb.org.