Jonathan Haidt on the Plague of Anxiety Affecting Young People

This episode explores the impact of smartphones and social media on the mental health of young people, particularly those born after 1995, dubbed "the anxious generation," featuring social psychologist Jonathan Haidt. Haidt argues that the introduction of smartphones and social media around 2010-2015 has led to a "great rewiring of childhood," with increased rates of anxiety, depression, and self-harm, especially among girls. Against the backdrop of concerns about screen time, Haidt differentiates between the passive, often social, experience of watching television and the active, often isolating, engagement with social media, where children are constantly performing and seeking validation. More significantly, Haidt points out that girls spend more time on visually-oriented platforms like Instagram, crafting posts and awaiting comments, which fosters anxiety and a sense of performance rather than play. When critics raise concerns about causation versus correlation, Haidt defends his position by citing experiments demonstrating the negative impacts of social media, while also noting the lack of alternative explanations for the sudden spike in mental health issues among young people. Ultimately, Haidt suggests limiting social media use until age 16 and teaching young people to protect their attention as key steps to reversing the trend and improving mental health.