The Anxious Generation: Dr. Becky & Jonathan Haidt in Conversation with Stephanie Ruhle at 92NY

As our society delves deeper into the digital age, Jonathan Haidt and others express increasing concern for the well-being of the youngest generations, raising alarms about the impacts of technology on children's mental health and development.

Children in the "anxious generation" are experiencing higher rates of anxiety, depression, and self-harm

Haidt describes Gen Z, everyone born after 1995, as the "anxious generation" facing unprecedented mental health challenges. He notes a significant increase in anxiety, depression, and self-harm behaviors starting in 2012, predominantly among girls. This troubling rise corresponds with widespread accessibility to smartphones and social media. Stephanie Ruhle also points out the concerning issue of children's exposure to hardcore pornography on the internet, implying its damaging role on young girls' mental health.

The first generation to go through puberty with constant access to smartphones and social media, especially girls, have seen a sharp rise in mental health issues since 2012

Jonathan Haidt mentions that many teens are nearly constantly online, thus missing out on the real-life experiences that are vital for their development. He warns that when teenagers become too engrossed with online interactions, they become "lost" to the real world. Moreover, Haidt points out that social media use is particularly harmful to middle-school girls, as evidenced by experimental studies.

Technology and digital experiences are depriving children of crucial developmental experiences

The ease and lack of discomfort from technology use prevents children from building resilience and coping skills

Becky Kennedy and Jonathan Haidt discuss how modern conveniences resulting from technological advancements negatively affect children's development by reducing their opportunities to face frustration and discomfort. Kennedy illustrates this with the effortless experience of streaming movies compared to the past frustrations of renting one. Kennedy emphasizes that mastering discomfort builds resilience and coping skills, but Haidt stresses that children are increasingly protected from such growth experiences.

Direct human interactions and unstructured play are being replaced by passive digital experiences, hampering social and emotional development

Direct human connections, which Gen Z finds uncomfortable, are often replaced by asynchronous, image-based communication, which lacks the bonding quality of real-world interactions. Haidt recounts an anecdote where a school's d ...

Jonathan Haidt and Becky Kennedy explore the difficulties parents encounter in moderating their children’s technology use in the digital era, emphasizing the need for strong leadership, setting firm boundaries, and allowing children to experience discomfort.

Parents struggle to maintain sturdy leadership and set necessary boundaries around technology use

Kennedy points out that parents have trouble enforcing rules that limit their children’s access to harmful content. With the ubiquitous nature of technology, both Haidt and Kennedy highlight that children resist boundaries and parents often cave in to avoid conflict, which can undermine parental authority. Parents giving in to kids’ tantrums when setting rules around technology use can be problematic, as children need to learn to accept limits. Kennedy suggests involving children in the rule-setting process by having them draft an initial phone use contract, indicating that parents need to be firm, even in the face of resistance.

Stephanie Ruhle discusses the social challenges of enforcing boundaries, such as excluding children from technology which might make them feel like outcasts. The societal pressure parents face, stemming from the expectation that every child should have a smartphone, complicates the boundary-setting process.

Children resist boundaries and parents often give in to avoid conflict, undermining their authority

Kennedy discusses that children can negatively react to boundaries, experiencing emotional outbursts that become difficult for parents to handle, leading them to relent on set rules. For instance, when it comes to children using smartphones, Ruhle planned to give her daughter a phone at age 12 but, after understanding the nuances from Kennedy, reconsidered waiting until high school.

The social pressure and infrastructure of ubiquitous technology makes it difficult for parents to limit access

Haidt suggests that parents can delay providing smartphones until high school, offering alternatives such as flip phones or phone watches that don’t offer constant internet access. This practice can help mitigate the challenge of boundary-setting in a society where children often demand smartphones because of widespread ownership among their peers.

Parents must learn to tolerate their child's discomfort when setting boundaries, as this is a crucial part of building competence

Kennedy emphasizes the importance of sturdy leadership in parenting, noting that children mu ...

Jonathan Haidt emphasizes the urgent need for collective action and a shift in social norms regarding technology use to better support the healthy development of children and teenagers.

Individual parents face an uphill battle against powerful tech companies and social norms, but collective action can shift the landscape

Haidt acknowledges the challenges individual parents face battling powerful tech companies and entrenched social norms but argues that collective action could reshape this landscape. He mentions coordinated efforts like schools going phone-free and suggests starting with removing phones from elementary and middle schools to improve children's lives. Kennedy adds that if other parents joined in the decision to delay getting a phone, the challenge would be more manageable. Haidt sees potential for significant positive change if social norms around technology can be shifted, making it easier for all parents. He stresses the importance of agreeing collectively to give children smartphones only upon reaching high school to avoid children feeling left out and mocked for not having a phone.

Coordinated efforts by schools, communities, and parents to establish norms like no smartphones before high school, no social media before 16, and phone-free schools can make it easier for all families

Haidt details four norms to counter the smartphone-dominated childhood: no smartphones before high school, no social media before 16, phone-free schools, and increasing independence with real-world play and responsibilities. He highlights that if these norms are widely adopted, there can be a substantial beneficial impact. By making schools phone-free, providing six hours of screen-free time can be achieved, demonstrating collective action by schools. Haidt suggests that this transition could lead to removing one-on-one devices from schools, which could enhance education particularly for students most vulnerable to phone addiction.

Restoring a more natural, play-based childhood experience with appropriate risks and independence is essential for healthy child development

Haidt recommends restoring a childhood filled with real-world adventures and risks, fundamental to healthy development. He alludes to the past when children engaged in unsupervised activities and argues that preventing kids from taking ...