It is the first generation that was born under the sign of the smartphone. Five teenagers from the metropolis of Lille have agreed to play the game of the northern director Isabelle Cadière. In front of the camera, Fannie, Zoe, Adam, Maxence and Titouan tell the reasons why they stay permanently glued to the cell phone. “It is borderline as enriching as school,” assures Fannie from the outset.
For 52 minutes, the documentary Drop your smartphone, broadcast Monday, October 11, at 11 p.m., on France 3 Hauts-de-France, tries to dissect what can be called a conflict of generations. As proof, Creepy, prank or putaclic are all terms that mark an apparently impassable border.
“Start the discussion with the parents”
“I am a mother of teenagers and I wanted to show by this documentary how wrong they were to always be hooked to their smartphone, explains Isabelle Cadière to 20 minutes. And then by questioning them, I ended up discovering that it could also become a rich learning experience for them. They convinced me. Finally, I hope that the film can trigger the discussion with the parents. “
However, the shooting was not easy. “I had trouble recruiting volunteers,” says the director. Many withdrew. Some wanted to keep control of their image, others refused to shoot in their own room, surprisingly modest when they did not hesitate to share their secrets on the Internet. “
“We will see what the future has in store for us”
Pornography, fake news, limited privacy… We find out what these high school students think, who can spend up to eight hours a day on their screens. Asked about their future role as parents, “we’ll see what the future holds”, Fannie blurted out as an epilogue.
Last precision, this document ironically states that it contains “remarks likely to offend the sensitivity of over 40 years”. The tone is set.