Parents' Guide to Molly vs the Machines

This powerful documentary may well be a difficult watch for parents and young people alike, but there's power to be found in the knowledge behind its disturbing messages. Through the very personal story of Molly's death, Molly vs the Machines also explores the wider topic of harmful social media content, surveillance technology, and the algorithms that ultimately sucked the 14-year-old into a space where she was bombarded with 2,100 images relating to self-harm and suicide over the space of six months. Filmmakers openly work with AI to develop the narrative, and show how easy it is to change the voice of the content and tailor it to manipulate. Co-written by Shoshana Zuboff, author of The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, the movie also delves into how technology is designed to collect information in almost every moment of our lives, and steer us toward and keep us hooked on the more profitable content. To tie the big picture and personal focus together, the documentary centers a reconstructed version of the inquest into Molly's death and her final days and hours. But what's particularly impactful is the interviews with her father, who continues to tirelessly campaign for awareness and change. Scenes with Molly's group of friends also have a humanizing effect, as the (now) young women laugh and reminisce about their friend over pizza, and show moments of strength and solidarity, reaching out to take each other's hands for comfort when the inevitable tears fall. It's a tragic personal story, a stark reality check, and a passionate call to arms that will likely spark important and timely conversations at home and beyond.