It is unlikely that the attention economy will meaningfully self-correct on its own. The current commercial model rewards mindless compulsion, frictionless access, and intrusive stimuli. For a cultural shift to occur, its catalyst must come from outside the platforms - through relatable stories, and an emotional connection with possible role models who make alternative behavior imaginable and satisfying.

That is the opening that Touch The Grass intends to leverage. Its narrative does not try to win a policy debate in the middle of a scene. Rather, it works at the level of feeling. It lets viewers experience the true cost of digital overreach - then rediscover the reward of presence almost by accident.

Allegations that social media technologists have intentionally addicted their young customers have now reached the courts. And some jurisdictions – notably Australia, the United Kingdom and numerous US school districts – have made social media usage by those under 16 years of age illegal or otherwise restricted its usage. Nevertheless, these are incomplete solutions that will not fully solve the underlying social media crisis.

Recognizing that today’s teen social media addiction problem parallels the major public health crisis of smoking in the 1960s compels that compensating initiatives be undertaken to reverse this trend. (The anti-smoking initiatives introduced at that time are judged to have saved eight million lives.)

The Return on Investment sought through this project is not one of monetary gain – but rather that of improving the mental health of its audience. This is measured in Cognitive and Behavioral shifts that improve the mental health of its audience. For its larger cohort of stakeholders – parents, family members and society at large - we offer the prospect of a brighter future occupied by autonomous and self-realized individuals.