Lauren Greenfield’s groundbreaking docuseries Social Studies captures teen life in all its unruly, digital-age complexity. The five-episode series aired on FX to rave reviews for its depiction of the first generation raised by social media.

The project follows a group of teenagers as they navigate the anxieties of young adulthood, social media, and post-Covid-era isolation. Greenfield films her adolescents with verite intimacy and has full access to their phones through screen-record technology. This approach lets viewers experience the teens’ real-world identities and online personas side by side, revealing how both exist—and evolve—in tandem.

The series, as a result, depicts our tech-infused existence like no documentary before it.

Greenfield is the celebrated documentary filmmaker behind The Queen of Versailles, winner of the US Documentary Directing Award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. Her other projects have included Generation Wealth, The Kingmaker, and the award-winning #likeagirl Super Bowl commercial.

For this Spotlight event, Greenfield discusses how she captured the digital lives of the insecure, clout-chasing teenagers of Social Studies. She also shares insights on creating her first docuseries, gaining the trust of her participants, and her own personal thoughts on social media.