Over the last two decades, the Internet has become a focal point in the social and professional lives of young people, making it more and more important to examine both the positive and negative effects that the Internet can have in forging the identitues of children from every background and culture.
This selection of films deal with a number of contemporary, relatable issues such as how social media profiles make a real life impact on their users or addiction to online games. They also open up debate around freedom of access to information online, whether there should be more regulation for younger web users and protection of intellectual property.
Cert
Age group8–12
Duration92 mins
Visually peerless example of Hollywood coming to terms with computers, in which programmer Kevin Flynn get sucked into a game.
In Tron, the inner workings of computers are brought to vivid life, with characters representing commands, blockades, bugs, and pathways in a user’s journey towards information. The film also addresses issues of intellectual property, as Flynn’s popular games are stolen by his unscrupulous ex-boss, who has found a devious way to hide his crime.
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Cert
Age group8–15
Duration112 mins
Ralph and Vanellope must travel around the Internet via a newly installed Wi-Fi router in their arcade to locate a piece capable of saving their game.
In this gaming-themed sequel, the internet takes centre stage as Ralph finds out more about the technology behind it during his adventures. Encountering ads, search engines, auction sites, social media platforms and creating a viral video along the way, this serves as a neat and necessary introduction to the dangers and hazards of the internet, as well as its benefits.
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Cert
Age group8–15
Duration97 mins
Excellent adaptation of the much-loved book about a girl who writes down everything she sees.
The story of Harriet demonstrates what can happen when private information is made public. This warning is relevant not only in the school playground but also on the internet where more and more social interaction between young people is taking place. The tale of Harriet will encourage children to think twice about information that they share.
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Cert
Age group15+
Duration115 mins
Riveting biopic of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and the legal challenge he's faced with after being accused of stealing the idea.
Facebook’s origins are explored from its popular but morally dubious first guise as an online platform to rate the attractiveness of female classmates through its evolution to a universally embraced social tool. Alongside the emergence of digital footprints, real-life friendships fall by the wayside in the fast-paced world of the digital start-up.
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Cert
Age group12+
Duration102 mins
After his 16 year-old daughter goes missing, her father investigates her laptop to try and track her down.
This superbly executed thriller uses a variety of screens to tell its story – laptop webcams, CCTV cameras, mobile phone videos and more – to demonstrate our modern reliance on technology and how we can piece together different parts of an individual’s online footprint to build a profile of their life, habits and activities, to potentially dangerous effect.
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Cert
Age group15+
Duration105 mins
Eye-opening documentary about Aaron Swartz – a brilliantly gifted thinker and internet information freedom activist.
Aaron Swartz was a ‘hacktivist’ who believed that scientific research should be in the public domain, rather than the property of corporations. A great starting point for conversations about the function of the internet and how the issue of file sharing and data theft should be defined.
Read moreViewing 6 of 15 films in list
