Jonathan Haidt on how to reduce mental health problems in children caused by smartphones and social media | Virgin Radio UK

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July 9, 2024 at 10:51 am

Jonathan Haidt, a leading social psychologist, has released his new book, “Anxious Times: How Major Changes in Childhood Are Driving the Epidemic of Mental Illness.”

In the book, he argues that the decline in free play at a young age and the increase in the use of smartphones are contributing to the rise of adolescent mental disorders. On the Chris Evans Breakfast Show webuyanikar, he said: “I can sum up the whole book in one sentence; We overprotect our children in real life and underprotect them online.”

He told Chris: “At the heart of the book is the story of how we got here, and it focuses on the years 2010 to 2015, which I call the Great Turning of Childhood.”

Jonathan, a social psychologist at New York University’s Stern School of Business, explains: “The ’90s were great because we thought everything was fine. So, we’re starting to press the game, we’re getting our kids in, we don’t want them out, but we’ve got these computers, these computers have the new internet, the new internet. was amazing.

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“We all remember, I can just type a question and I’ll get the answer right away!” This is what mankind has been dreaming of for 1000 years. So the millennials, they grew up with this early internet and they’re fine. Millennials are doing well. They are creative and take risks. They started a company. And then we said, “Well, the computer is good, it’s good for our children too.” Internet is good. It is good for our children.’ It was the first internet.”

He continued: “In 2007, everything changed. The iPhone came out. It’s not bad at first. But then you get the app store and push notifications. In 2010, you have a front-facing camera. Instagram became popular in 2012. High high speed internet.

“So in 2010, we could call them Millennials, they were using their flip phones to connect and meet. And that’s great. By 2015, we could call them Gen Z, they’re using smartphones between five and 15 hours a day, with high-speed data, They don’t have front-facing cameras, they don’t post on Instagram, they stop seeing their friends. They’re talking on the phone instead of their friends.”

Jonathan – has written over 100 research papers and given four TED Talks, “In 2010, children still had a game-based childhood. But in the last five years, things have changed in the developed world. can’t grow.”

Explaining how this all affected girls, she explained, “Depression, anxiety, self-harm, all the graphs were very stable from the 90s to 2011 and there was no problem. Until 2011, all of a sudden in 2012 and 2013, all these lines started spiraling into the sky.

The psychologist described it as “a complete transformation of girls’ mental health”. keep it. It’s crazy for teenage girls to do that, but we do.”

So, what can parents do to solve the problem? Jonathan made four points. “In the UK, it’s normal to give a five-year-old an old smartphone. It’s crazy,” he said. “The older they get, the more they get it because other people get it. So what we have to do is get out of it together. We can make four norms out of it. One, 14 years old. Don’t have a smartphone until they at least have sex early.

“They will not use social media until they are two or 16 years old. Social media is really not suitable for children. I mean sex, violence, addiction, manipulation, men who want them naked. It’s crazy,” he said.

He continued: The third is wireless schools. And it’s happening really fast. Listeners, if you want to do just one thing to really save this generation, contact your child’s school principal and say, “Give me the phone for free.” And toll free means Bell to Bell. And that doesn’t just mean during class.

“Until yesterday in human history, parents could not communicate with their children during math lessons. You can’t text your kids, but in the short time we’ve had since 2012, parents have been able to keep in touch with their kids, even during math lessons.

He added: “Headmasters, they need to listen to parents saying, ‘Give my child six hours a day to listen to the teacher and talk to other kids,’ because they’re not doing that. One of the things they say when schools make phones free is “Between lessons we hear laughter again. We haven’t heard anything like this in a long time.’

“And the fourth is in one respect the most important and the most neglected, because it is the most difficult; If we’re going to cut screen time and give our kids back a game-based childhood, we have to give them games.

“So the fourth norm is more independence, free play, and responsibility in the real world. Our kids feel useless. They say, ‘My life is wasted.’ All they’re doing is making videos. Give them homework, rights. give it time off, give it a chance to play as a group. We all rode bikes until we were eight, nine, ten years old. We all had adventures that made us grow up.”

Anxious generation: How dramatic changes in childhood are driving the epidemic of mental illness is now emerging.

Listen for more great interviews The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with webuyanycar Weekdays from 6:30am on Virgin Radio, or demand here.