Panel Discussion: A Screenage Survival Kit for Parents/Caregivers
The Screenage Survival Kit for Parents/Caregivers panel discussion on May 27 at Oliver Wolcott Library (OWL) featured a lively discussion between the panel and the audience of approximately 25 in-person attendees and others on Zoom.
The Litchfield Prevention Council, Litchfield PTO, and OWL co-sponsored the event. Discussion was facilitated by Caroline Wilcox Urgulu, the Early Literacy and Library Curation Specialist at OWL.
The discussion focused on gaining the tools and support to navigate the turbulent waters of screen use and addiction, and the panelists for the evening were pediatricians Kate Litwin and Lucia Benzoni and social worker Sarah Bolton.
“The parents came away with practical advice about managing their children’s exposure to social media,” Prevention Council chair Gary Waugh said. “There was a consensus that the entire community needed to take responsibility for keeping our children safe on the internet.”
More on the panelists:
Kate Litwin has practiced as a general pediatrician at Rocky Hill Pediatrics for more than 18 years. At work, she routinely counsels parents and patients regarding digital media use. At home, she is the mother of two teenagers and has, like most parents, struggled to set and enforce boundaries at the various stages of child and adolescent development. She has a particular interest in teen mental health and cares for many patients with anxiety, depression, ADHD and eating disorders.
Dr. Lucia Benzoni works in Bristol as a Pediatrician and has 34 years of experience. She lives in Litchfield and is married with five children. A lover of the outdoors, Dr. Benzoni finds joy in engaging in activities like gardening, hiking, and biking. “The struggle is real …. I went from having children that are older that did not have constant access to screens to my youngest child who had constant access.”
Sarah Bolton was born and raised in Woodbury. After graduating from Villanova University, she served a year in the Americorps program in Washington D.C., working for a non-profit agency that encourages adults experiencing homelessness to identify and achieve next steps in their lives. She then lived in New York City and New Haven, continuing her career in public service working for the City of New York and then the State of CT. She eventually made her way back to Litchfield County, settling in Litchfield ten years ago. She obtained her master’s degree in social work from UConn in 2012 and has been working as a school social worker since 2013. Sarah, her husband Jay, and their two children enjoy being involved in the community.
