Jonathan, I'm blown away! By going way beyond writing a seminal book on freeing an "anxious generation" and integrating brilliant methods of spreading the message, offering actionable steps for parents and educators, and garnering solid support from readers, you actually present solid hope that change is possible. Thanks for this tremendous work in redirecting childhood back toward a healthy, relational, independent, and reality-based existence!
Well said, Ruth! Jonathan's passion for fundamental cultural change is wildly evident here. An ambitious goal, SO worthy, and creatively undertaken. Let's GO!!
Expand to screen-free. Tablets as pacifiers in the grocery store, the restaurant, the doctors office = early (toddler age and up) addiction to constant stream of screen-based content that disrupts play and connections with people, animals, beauty, etc.
I'm happy to report that in my own TikTok feed this morning were several videos of moms calling upon other parents form a pact and commit to not giving their young children smart phones. The addicted adults want to spare our kids from the dooms of scrolling! - Erin
Make childhood fun again! Parents must unite to protect our kids from all the anxiety from technology and bad education regarding COVID, climate, race, and trans. Congrats to Jonathan and team for leading the charge.
Thank you for your tireless research on this topic and for your amazing efforts to put this needed social shift into action. Our 17-year-old daughter implemented your recommendations just over a year ago (no smartphone, switch to Apple watch to communicate with family and friends, more independent activities) and she will be the first to tell you how positively life-changing it was. It essentially resolved her anxiety. Thank you again, we owe so much to your work.
In our experience, it seems the most vulnerable population to social media and screen addiction is the 14 to 17-year-old group. My question is, why not extend your recommendation to keep teens off smartphones and social media until age 18, or after high school? It feels like introducing my teenage daughter to social media at 16 would have been the worst possible timing. And with the invention of Apple watches and Gabb-type phones, there are more suitable options to keep kids socially connected without the baggage of smartphones.
It's called the "Overton Window". Haidt's proposals are intended to nudge and shift it. And the other key concept is "tipping point." Slopes are a lot slipperier than they appear, which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on one's perspective.
I'm thrilled not only that the book has arrived, but to see the Free the Anxious Generation website and movement! I lecture at schools on this topic and always cite your fabulous research and initiatives. I am one of the crusaders for this very important mission. Please let me know if you are putting together a group of leaders to disseminate this information locally to our communities. I'm already doing it as best as I can, but would love to use your resources in any specific way you want them to be used! Thank you again!
What is to be done though about schools putting all the homework and assignments, online, and when it includes watching YouTube videos? So that when a kid is doing schoolwork ....they are online. Many schools near here are putting the kids online during school supposedly to look at what the school wants but of course it's just a flick of a finger away from everything else anyone puts online, much of it carefully tuned to be attractive and addictive?
Hi! I share the worry but have a positive perspective that I would like to explain.
I have come to think that it's good that the school guides my kids in the use of internet for research and academia... There's so much opportunity in global access to information, but so many dangers in global access to mis-information... In my case I'm glad of the school helping the new generation to interact critically with this new environment and harness the benefits it brings... I'm unfortunately less qualified to help my kids with the social interaction on the new media. They are wiser than me and very picky on the applications they use to play and communicate with friends. They were lucky to be starting to use social media during the period of discussion of the "right to be forgotten" (also thoroughly discussed in their school) and as a result they never post publicly and are annoyed if I or my husband post something where they are visible... Not that we are frequent users...
In hindsight, I thank the school for helping with the digital education of my kids.
Of course, it's important to be aware of the principles followed by the school and able to align both, school and parents approach.
I'm going to read the book, I want to know more on different research results, interpretations and approaches. The anxious generation is probably generationS...
Man, you sure have a lot of faith in teachers - and administrators + curriculums - to keep up with an extremely rapidly changing "misinformation" landscape.
I personally trust neither to be good at teaching kids about identifying and avoiding misinformation, which is ubiquitous, in every major media outlet, and an extremely rapidly moving target.
In my personal estimation, excluding misinformation and finding truthful and useful info requires better epistemics and critical thinking skills than probably 80% of teachers or administrators have.
Then the problem is it's something you need to do consistently and repeatedly, in an ever-moving and soon AI-enabled landscape where propagating misinformation is directly financially incentivized in either clicks or engagement. My money is not on schools doing this well.
I'm really interested in how to restore family and community and I write a lot about it - this sounds like a great contribution to the conversation. Thank you <3
When I was teaching high school Literature in the early 2010s our school had a policy of no phones in class. But it was an honour system because it couldn't be enforced. On one occasion a girl's phone rang in class and she answered it. Ordinarily I'd point to the door to indicate to take it outside but this time I stopped the lesson and waited. Her mum had called because she couldn't find her false eyelashes and did her daughter know where they were. The girl told her mother she was in class but the eyelashes were clearly a priority. The girl was a bit embarrassed but we soon got back to the lesson. Then the phone rang again. The girl blushed, the rest of the class laughed. Mum once more, just to let her daughter know that the eyelashes had been found. What a relief.
This was a parent using the phone to make the child anxious. Not only can parents be enablers of their children's phone use, but I suspect that there is considerable pressure put on children by parents to always have the phone on, "just in case". While I understand if it's Saturday night and the child is out, but at school? The problems caused by phone use are situated in contexts of relationships and we need to explore these in order to gain a more nuanced understanding of the roles these devices play. I have seen some academic research but it has been along the lines of digital boosterism where students' digital lives are lauded as somehow edgy and any criticism is just old-fogeyism.
I've been wondering how much is a problem of technology and how much it's a problem of the novel environment for all. I don't think the channel is the problem, but how to use it. This is an amazing example of where the parents, we are the ones in need of tech education...
I need to read the book, I think it's going to challenge my thinking. Thanks!
Yes, I think this is going to need an even deeper dive. I suspect that there are underlying problems which manifest in problematic effects of technology.
This gives me so much hope! I preordered your book and look forward to seeing it on my doorstep later today! Your work is amazing and I will help support it anyway I can. Thank you!!
I have ordered this, and cannot wait to read it and share it with my colleagues and clients! I also write the “book of the month” feature for our clinic’s newsletter, and this definitely be featured. Having read a number of your other books, I feel confident about the quality and applicability even before opening the cover. As for the publicity…brilliant!
Why do those on here blame more screen time for more teen suicide and self-harm when the definitive CDC and other surveys show just the opposite? For all ages, sexes, races, and statuses, teens who never/rarely go online (<1 hr/day) suffer greater risk of suicide attempt and self-harm than teens who go online regularly (1-4 hrs/day) or frequently (5+ hrs/day).
The CDC survey consistently shows that teens under age 16 who rarely/never go online suffer the greatest risks of suicide attempt, injurious self-harm, smoking, heroin use, methamphetamine use, cocaine use, school violence, domestic violence, dating violence, rape, gun-carrying, fights, prescription abuse, increased alcohol/drug use, missing school, exercising less than 3 days/week, and having few contacts with supportive people. While some risks like vaping and lack of sleep are similar or worse for online teens, on balance, the worst troubles are concentrated in non-online teens. (I invite downloading and analyzing the full CDC survey and the few broader ones, such as Pew’s.)
Offline teens are slightly more Black or Hispanic, demographics with low suicide rates. Overall, the most troubled teens – those reporting depression, sadness, abuse by parents/adults, suicidal ideation, and female, younger, minority, LGBQ status –are much safer if regularly or frequently online. For example, non-online LGBQ teens who consider suicide are twice as likely as their frequently-online counterparts to attempt suicide and self-harm.
True, the CDC survey associates more screen time with poorer teen mental health. That makes it even more fascinating that the same teens on the same survey associate more screen time with lower risks of suicide attempt, self-harm, and other troubles. Studies fixated on social media missed vital insights into what really generates teens’ unhappiness and how they use social media.
The dangers of both the virtual and real worlds have been wildly exaggerated. Teens don’t need more restrictions.
Also, let's zoom out to see the bigger picture for a moment. The biggest elephant in the room is that the *adults* aren't alright. If social media, smartphones, etc are so horrible and practically an existential threat to our nation, then perhaps the powers that be should declare a state of emergency and 1) impose an all-ages nationwide "quarantine" on all social media platforms (except for standalone texting-like direct messaging apps) for "just two weeks", or until the companies running the platforms remove the most addictive and problematic features, whichever is longer, and 2) have a voluntary smartphone buyback program for all ages, similar to gun buybacks. Then pass comprehensive data privacy legislation and ban surveillance advertising, to throw the proverbial One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom for good. Collective action problem solved. What was the question again?
Bonus points if they also implement phone-free workplaces for all ages, and not just for schools. At least while on the clock. I mean, adults should be setting a good example and not being flaming hypocrites, right?
We need a roadmap of advocacy to articulate a way forward to promote policy changes in the public schools where we live. Letters to the editors of local papers with specific calls to action, so that we’re clear and specific about our intent and our recommendations. Where can we find succinct guidance?
It appeared on my kindle and I've started reading it. Finished Life on Mars. Interesting timing, WSJ reports that Florida is banning social media for children under 14 even with parental consent. Goes into effect Jan 2025. The article reads like an ad for this book.
Jonathan, I'm blown away! By going way beyond writing a seminal book on freeing an "anxious generation" and integrating brilliant methods of spreading the message, offering actionable steps for parents and educators, and garnering solid support from readers, you actually present solid hope that change is possible. Thanks for this tremendous work in redirecting childhood back toward a healthy, relational, independent, and reality-based existence!
Well said, Ruth! Jonathan's passion for fundamental cultural change is wildly evident here. An ambitious goal, SO worthy, and creatively undertaken. Let's GO!!
My 14 year old heard you on Rogan and said, “Mom, we’ve got to order this book!”
Me: “Oh honey, it will be here this week. I pre-ordered that sucker awhile back.”
Love your work!! I keep sending your info to the school… who knows if they’ll listen?!
Expand to screen-free. Tablets as pacifiers in the grocery store, the restaurant, the doctors office = early (toddler age and up) addiction to constant stream of screen-based content that disrupts play and connections with people, animals, beauty, etc.
I'm happy to report that in my own TikTok feed this morning were several videos of moms calling upon other parents form a pact and commit to not giving their young children smart phones. The addicted adults want to spare our kids from the dooms of scrolling! - Erin
Make childhood fun again! Parents must unite to protect our kids from all the anxiety from technology and bad education regarding COVID, climate, race, and trans. Congrats to Jonathan and team for leading the charge.
"Make childhood fun again!" That needs to be a bumper sticker!
Jon,
Thank you for your tireless research on this topic and for your amazing efforts to put this needed social shift into action. Our 17-year-old daughter implemented your recommendations just over a year ago (no smartphone, switch to Apple watch to communicate with family and friends, more independent activities) and she will be the first to tell you how positively life-changing it was. It essentially resolved her anxiety. Thank you again, we owe so much to your work.
In our experience, it seems the most vulnerable population to social media and screen addiction is the 14 to 17-year-old group. My question is, why not extend your recommendation to keep teens off smartphones and social media until age 18, or after high school? It feels like introducing my teenage daughter to social media at 16 would have been the worst possible timing. And with the invention of Apple watches and Gabb-type phones, there are more suitable options to keep kids socially connected without the baggage of smartphones.
It's called the "Overton Window". Haidt's proposals are intended to nudge and shift it. And the other key concept is "tipping point." Slopes are a lot slipperier than they appear, which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on one's perspective.
I'm thrilled not only that the book has arrived, but to see the Free the Anxious Generation website and movement! I lecture at schools on this topic and always cite your fabulous research and initiatives. I am one of the crusaders for this very important mission. Please let me know if you are putting together a group of leaders to disseminate this information locally to our communities. I'm already doing it as best as I can, but would love to use your resources in any specific way you want them to be used! Thank you again!
Purchased!!! Thank you and your team for all you do.
Thank you and congratulations!
What is to be done though about schools putting all the homework and assignments, online, and when it includes watching YouTube videos? So that when a kid is doing schoolwork ....they are online. Many schools near here are putting the kids online during school supposedly to look at what the school wants but of course it's just a flick of a finger away from everything else anyone puts online, much of it carefully tuned to be attractive and addictive?
I am horrified to see elementary students being assigned iPads, and doing schoolwork on them every day. This has to stop.
Hi! I share the worry but have a positive perspective that I would like to explain.
I have come to think that it's good that the school guides my kids in the use of internet for research and academia... There's so much opportunity in global access to information, but so many dangers in global access to mis-information... In my case I'm glad of the school helping the new generation to interact critically with this new environment and harness the benefits it brings... I'm unfortunately less qualified to help my kids with the social interaction on the new media. They are wiser than me and very picky on the applications they use to play and communicate with friends. They were lucky to be starting to use social media during the period of discussion of the "right to be forgotten" (also thoroughly discussed in their school) and as a result they never post publicly and are annoyed if I or my husband post something where they are visible... Not that we are frequent users...
In hindsight, I thank the school for helping with the digital education of my kids.
Of course, it's important to be aware of the principles followed by the school and able to align both, school and parents approach.
I'm going to read the book, I want to know more on different research results, interpretations and approaches. The anxious generation is probably generationS...
Man, you sure have a lot of faith in teachers - and administrators + curriculums - to keep up with an extremely rapidly changing "misinformation" landscape.
I personally trust neither to be good at teaching kids about identifying and avoiding misinformation, which is ubiquitous, in every major media outlet, and an extremely rapidly moving target.
In my personal estimation, excluding misinformation and finding truthful and useful info requires better epistemics and critical thinking skills than probably 80% of teachers or administrators have.
Then the problem is it's something you need to do consistently and repeatedly, in an ever-moving and soon AI-enabled landscape where propagating misinformation is directly financially incentivized in either clicks or engagement. My money is not on schools doing this well.
I'm really interested in how to restore family and community and I write a lot about it - this sounds like a great contribution to the conversation. Thank you <3
When I was teaching high school Literature in the early 2010s our school had a policy of no phones in class. But it was an honour system because it couldn't be enforced. On one occasion a girl's phone rang in class and she answered it. Ordinarily I'd point to the door to indicate to take it outside but this time I stopped the lesson and waited. Her mum had called because she couldn't find her false eyelashes and did her daughter know where they were. The girl told her mother she was in class but the eyelashes were clearly a priority. The girl was a bit embarrassed but we soon got back to the lesson. Then the phone rang again. The girl blushed, the rest of the class laughed. Mum once more, just to let her daughter know that the eyelashes had been found. What a relief.
This was a parent using the phone to make the child anxious. Not only can parents be enablers of their children's phone use, but I suspect that there is considerable pressure put on children by parents to always have the phone on, "just in case". While I understand if it's Saturday night and the child is out, but at school? The problems caused by phone use are situated in contexts of relationships and we need to explore these in order to gain a more nuanced understanding of the roles these devices play. I have seen some academic research but it has been along the lines of digital boosterism where students' digital lives are lauded as somehow edgy and any criticism is just old-fogeyism.
I've been wondering how much is a problem of technology and how much it's a problem of the novel environment for all. I don't think the channel is the problem, but how to use it. This is an amazing example of where the parents, we are the ones in need of tech education...
I need to read the book, I think it's going to challenge my thinking. Thanks!
Yes, I think this is going to need an even deeper dive. I suspect that there are underlying problems which manifest in problematic effects of technology.
Amazing story. More qualitative research required.
BINGO. Kids today are the most heavily monitored generation in all of recorded history. And it really shows!
This gives me so much hope! I preordered your book and look forward to seeing it on my doorstep later today! Your work is amazing and I will help support it anyway I can. Thank you!!
I have ordered this, and cannot wait to read it and share it with my colleagues and clients! I also write the “book of the month” feature for our clinic’s newsletter, and this definitely be featured. Having read a number of your other books, I feel confident about the quality and applicability even before opening the cover. As for the publicity…brilliant!
Why do those on here blame more screen time for more teen suicide and self-harm when the definitive CDC and other surveys show just the opposite? For all ages, sexes, races, and statuses, teens who never/rarely go online (<1 hr/day) suffer greater risk of suicide attempt and self-harm than teens who go online regularly (1-4 hrs/day) or frequently (5+ hrs/day).
The CDC survey consistently shows that teens under age 16 who rarely/never go online suffer the greatest risks of suicide attempt, injurious self-harm, smoking, heroin use, methamphetamine use, cocaine use, school violence, domestic violence, dating violence, rape, gun-carrying, fights, prescription abuse, increased alcohol/drug use, missing school, exercising less than 3 days/week, and having few contacts with supportive people. While some risks like vaping and lack of sleep are similar or worse for online teens, on balance, the worst troubles are concentrated in non-online teens. (I invite downloading and analyzing the full CDC survey and the few broader ones, such as Pew’s.)
Offline teens are slightly more Black or Hispanic, demographics with low suicide rates. Overall, the most troubled teens – those reporting depression, sadness, abuse by parents/adults, suicidal ideation, and female, younger, minority, LGBQ status –are much safer if regularly or frequently online. For example, non-online LGBQ teens who consider suicide are twice as likely as their frequently-online counterparts to attempt suicide and self-harm.
True, the CDC survey associates more screen time with poorer teen mental health. That makes it even more fascinating that the same teens on the same survey associate more screen time with lower risks of suicide attempt, self-harm, and other troubles. Studies fixated on social media missed vital insights into what really generates teens’ unhappiness and how they use social media.
The dangers of both the virtual and real worlds have been wildly exaggerated. Teens don’t need more restrictions.
Also, let's zoom out to see the bigger picture for a moment. The biggest elephant in the room is that the *adults* aren't alright. If social media, smartphones, etc are so horrible and practically an existential threat to our nation, then perhaps the powers that be should declare a state of emergency and 1) impose an all-ages nationwide "quarantine" on all social media platforms (except for standalone texting-like direct messaging apps) for "just two weeks", or until the companies running the platforms remove the most addictive and problematic features, whichever is longer, and 2) have a voluntary smartphone buyback program for all ages, similar to gun buybacks. Then pass comprehensive data privacy legislation and ban surveillance advertising, to throw the proverbial One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom for good. Collective action problem solved. What was the question again?
Bonus points if they also implement phone-free workplaces for all ages, and not just for schools. At least while on the clock. I mean, adults should be setting a good example and not being flaming hypocrites, right?
(Mic drop)
Amen to that, Mike! Very well-said.
We need a roadmap of advocacy to articulate a way forward to promote policy changes in the public schools where we live. Letters to the editors of local papers with specific calls to action, so that we’re clear and specific about our intent and our recommendations. Where can we find succinct guidance?
It appeared on my kindle and I've started reading it. Finished Life on Mars. Interesting timing, WSJ reports that Florida is banning social media for children under 14 even with parental consent. Goes into effect Jan 2025. The article reads like an ad for this book.
Love my Gov!