
Plugged In
Teen depression rates have climbed for more than a decade, and this film asks how much of that rise traces back to the phone in every teenager's pocket. Experts walk through the data: a documented uptick in anxiety and depression among girls under 17, a surge in hospital admissions for eating disorders, and suicide rates that have moved in step with the spread of social media. The film examines how platforms are built, looking at the algorithm design and engagement mechanics that keep teenagers scrolling, and hears from researchers and clinicians who connect screen time dependency to changes in adolescent mental health. It treats the correlation carefully, laying out the statistics before asking what, if anything, causes what. The result is less an alarm bell than a case file, built from expert testimony and hospital data, aimed at parents and anyone trying to understand why a generation that grew up online is also a generation reporting record levels of distress.