The impact of screen technology is one of the largest, unexplored parenting issues of our time, said physician and filmmaker Delaney Ruston.

That prompted her to make “Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age,” a documentary that explores the impact of screen time and offers parents proven solutions.

The public is invited to attend a free screening of the film scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at the Oak Harbor Cinema, 1321 SW Barlow St.

The movie is being distributed in an unconventional way.

The distributor, Indieflix, is using what it calls “a community viewing model” that it hopes will encourage a nationwide conversation by allowing parents, educators and others to book a screening.

Navy doctor Daniel Warren, who works at Naval Hospital Oak Harbor, said he was so impressed by what he saw during a viewing in Seattle that he offered to pay the $650 fee to bring it to Oak Harbor.

Instead, the Oak Harbor Youth Coalition offered to pay the cost.

“The effect of digital media on the brain, on families, on schools is all interesting to me,” Dr. Warren said. “I think the movie provided a balanced view that focused on having difficult conversations about values with social groups.

“Since it was helpful for me, I thought it would be something other people might be interested in as well.”

In the film, the director turns the camera on her own family and others, revealing stories that depict messy struggles over social media, video games, academics and internet addiction. One young man, Andrew, is a straight-A student whose love of video games spins out of control when he goes to college. A teenage girl talks about how she became a victim of social media bullying.

Ruston also interviews researchers who present evidence on changes happening in the brain.

The film also features multiple approaches parents and teachers can take to work with kids on achieving a healthy amount of screen time.