Ron's Gone Wrong
- Grades: 6 to 9
- Common Sense Media: parents say 8+, kids say 7+
- CS strength: 4 out of 5
- SEL strength: 2 out of 5
- Rotten Tomatoes: 82% critics, 94% audience
What happens
Everyone at school has a B-Bot, a walking, talking robot that is supposed to be your best friend. Barney finally gets one, but his B-Bot, Ron, is damaged: he does not work the way the others do and he does not know Barney at all. The two have to figure out what friendship actually means while the company behind the B-Bots has plans of its own.
Why we watch it
This is the clearest film on the list about data and privacy, and about what real friends do that an app cannot. Students use social media and recommendation feeds every day, so the questions land close to home. It also asks what you give up when a machine decides who you should be friends with.
Standards alignment
Answer key and teacher notes
- A What makes Barney different from other kids at the beginning of the movie?
- B What is a B-Bot supposed to do?
- C What's wrong with Ron when Barney first gets him?
- B How does Ron learn about Barney?
- C What does the Bubble company want to do with the B-Bots' data?