CHILDHOOD 2.0 is a documentary that explores the ways kids and teens grew up before and after the introduction and impact of the internet, smartphones, and social media. Researchers, doctors, specialists, and teachers talk about the problems this new technological era has caused in kids and teens. Primarily, the film worries about the rise of cyberbullying behavior being able to impact the lives of kids and teens at all hours of the day and night (over social media) and the rise of kid and teen suicide over the last 10 years and after the introduction and widespread adoption of smartphones. A lot of the film covers the rise of pornography and the ease with which kids and teens can and do access it, the dominance of social media and getting “likes” (and how girls need to show skin to get likes), and how it is now very common for boys to expect “nudes” (through text or apps like Snapchat) from girls.
The film also admits that kids and teens can’t avoid using smartphones or social media; beyond talking with your kids more and trying to limit screen time, the film doesn’t have any answers to all the negative consequences of smartphones and social media. Some strong language includes: “bitch,” “ass,” “slut,” “hell,” “whore,” and “kill yourself.”
