The use of social media by teenagers has made headlines worldwide. NPR recently presented a piece entitled "Teen Girls And Social Media: A Story Of 'Secret Lives' And Misogyny". Good Morning America recently held a roundtable discussion on what kids don't want their parent to know about their cellphones. There are many more.
While most of these stories focus on the myriad problems and potentially dangerous interactions created by these trends, few focus on solutions to these problems. Positive Psychologist and author Barbara Becker Holstein instead focuses on solutions. Her books, plays and short films have won numerous awards. 'The Truth, a Short Film', Official Choice of the Garden State Film Festival, 2016, premiered at the Garden State Film Festival on Sunday, April 3, 2016. 'On the Edge of Something New' the pop song composed for 'The Truth, a Short Film' by Jayne Critelli, won the award as the Best Pop Song, 2016.
Dr. Holstein's stage play, 'The Locket', was presented at The Grange Playhouse on March 11-20, 2016 and received rave reviews. Both the new short film and the stage play center on Dr. Holstein's primary messages for teens, tweens and women of all ages.
"If you ever kept a diary, as most of us have," Dr. Holstein stated, "you probably shared or at least thought about personal feelings such as those expressed by the girl in 'The Truth, a Short Film'. Your diary may still be in a drawer somewhere or up in the attic or lost forever. That's they way it was in the past. Today, when your daughter keeps a diary it can be very different. For example in 'The Truth' the girl keeps her diary on paper, but also keeps her diary on video via her cell phone. The question is, "Where does the diary on video end up?" Does she just share it with a best friend or is it sent into media outer space somewhere to last forever? Or even worse, is it shared with a stranger she has met via the web?"
"These are problems of today's world that simply didn't exist in the past. In today's world there are so many places to send videos and remarks that who can keep up? Our tweens and teens can keep up and that's the problem. They know apps and platforms we have not heard of. And they use them, as pointed out in an ABC story: What kids don’t want their parents to know about their cellphones. 'Tears and questions of family trust poured out when kids agreed to reveal to their parents what they’re really doing on their smartphones during a special Good Morning America roundtable.' The kids even admitted to using apps that appear to be one thing, such as a calculator, but behind the app is another function such as a platform to load pictures."
"How can a parent keep up? Here are two suggestions:
1. Talk to your daughter about the potential dangers of her Selfies, whether photos or videos, going out there. Lots of kids don't realize that information shared via the internet can last out there forever. Show your concern and help her understand that she may not feel the same way about Selfies she sends out now, in five years or when she is going for graduate school or a career.
2. Ask to see all the apps she keeps on her phone and how they work. Ask to see what sites she uses to send her Selfies to. You are her parent, you can ask. You wouldn't just let her take a bus to a town where she didn't even tell you she was going. So stay just as insistent with the sites she is on. She may not tell you all, but an informed and interested parent is harder to hide from than someone who seems to be indifferent."
Dr. Holstein's stage play, 'The Locket', received rave reviews:
"The Locket is a play by Barbara Holstein that centers around a women who has reached a crisis point in her adult life and in her marriage. Dr. Holstein has successfully integrated several complex themes including a woman discovering the wisdom of her authentic self in dialogue with her inner child, which she came to know again in her diary from childhood. In addition to providing entertainment, 'The Locket' is a potential stimulus for healing conversation among family members."
"The Locket is an emotional tour de force that opens up your heart to the possibility that love can, indeed, last. Riveting and intense, the characters take us along on a journey to the edge of despair only to reward us with a sense of hope and optimism."
"Magical and Spiritual. 'The Locket' is a play that has something everyone can identify with. Memory of first and young love. It's like a therapy session with a very positive learning experience."
"Young girls viewing this play are sure to walk away with a sense of validation and encouragement, more apt to trust their inner resources. The value of internal attunement is of heightened importance in our fast-paced society, of particular merit to young girls in a world caught up in external standards and evaluations."
"What a thrill to bring to life another interpretation of The Truth, this time in the form of a one act play," Dr. Holstein stated. "I am so appreciative that I had this opportunity to move 'The Locket' from a page to stage reading to a full performance at The Grange Playhouse in Howell, New Jersey. The actors were superb. Excerpts from 'The Locket' and from 'The Truth' can be found at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIMJ00jmjVO9go8wJv7ifSBVuLXa2tRAV.
"Seeing the 'Girl' as a tween and as an adult woman engaged in her own dilemmas, takes the drama potential that exists in all of our lives, to a whole new level of dramatic performance."
"My vision is to take both 'The Locket' and 'The Truth' on the road, so to speak. I see 'The Locket' published and being performed by schools and playhouses around the country. I see 'The Locket' as someday becoming a musical, and a film. I see 'The Truth' as a full length film and/or series in which all of the dilemmas and triumphs the girl faces can be further explored. In the short run I am eager to make another short film based on 'Secrets, Diary of a Gutsy Tween' in which the 'Girl' explores via her diary her next crush and much more. Am I done? Most certainly not. But am I proud of my work and thrilled with all the people who have worked with me as the creations came to life? Yes, yes, yes."
Dr. Holstein's entire body of work is great for parents, grandparents, older siblings and teachers to establish lines of communication with the tweens and teens in their lives.
Dr. Holstein is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at drbarbara@enchantedself.com. All of her books are available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and all other online retailers. More information is available at her website at http://www.TheTruthForGirls.com.
Profile:
Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein, internationally known Positive Psychologist is the creator of The Enchanted Self ®, a positive psychology method for happiness. She is in private practice in Long Branch, New Jersey with her husband, Dr. Russell M. Holstein.
Dr. Barbara can be found on the web, interviewed, writing articles and posting video 'TED' style talks on Happiness, Positive Psychology, Relationships and Parenting.
She has been a contributor to Heart and Soul, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Redbook, Real Simple, The Wall Street Journal, Time on line, the Today Show and Family Circle Magazine.
Contact:
Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein
170 Morris Ave.,
Long Branch, New Jersey 07740
drbarbara@enchantedself.com
732-571-1200
http://www.newshortfilmthetruth.com
http://www.thetruthforgirls.com
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