In 'The Anxious Generation', Jonathan Haidt examines the sudden decline in the mental health of adolescents starting in the early 2010s. He attributes this decline to the shift from a 'play-based childhood' to a 'phone-based childhood', highlighting mechanisms such as sleep deprivation, attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social contagion, and perfectionism that interfere with children’s social and neurological development. Haidt proposes four simple rules to address this issue: no smartphones before high school, no social media before age 16, phone-free schools, and more opportunities for independence, free play, and responsibility. The book offers a clear call to action for parents, teachers, schools, tech companies, and governments to restore a more humane childhood and end the epidemic of mental illness among youth.
📘 Episode Summary:
In this deeply thoughtful episode of The Learning Future Podcast, Louka Parry is joined by Dr. Katrin Kaeufer—author, educator, and co-founder of the Presencing Institute at MIT. Together, they explore how the emerging future can shape our present actions through the practice of presencing, a method that integrates mindfulness, leadership, and systems change.
Katrin shares personal reflections on stepping into novicehood, how embodiment reshaped her approach to teaching, and why reclaiming our attention is the defining challenge of our time. The conversation navigates the shift from ego- to ecosystem-thinking in economics, education, and leadership, and invites listeners to imagine regenerative futures through practices that deepen awareness and foster relational trust.
Whether you’re an educator, changemaker, or systems leader, this episode offers insight into the practices and paradigms that are shaping the future of learning, work, and social transformation.
About Katrin Kaufer:
Katrin Kaufer leads the Just Money Program at MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning (CoLab) and is Managing Director of the Presencing Institute. Her research and teaching focuses on leadership, organizational change, finance and participatory action research. She founded the Leadership Academy of Global Alliance for Banking on Values (gabv.org). Recent publications include: in 2025 „Presencing. 7 Practices for Transforming Self, Society and Business“ co-authored with Otto Scharmer and in 2013 Leading from the emerging Future (Berrett-Koehler Publishing); in 2021 Just Money. Mission-based banking and the future of finance. (MIT Press). Katrin holds a doctoral degree from University Witten/Herdecke, Germany.
🔗 Resources mentioned:
- Presencing Institute
- Presencing: Seven Practices for Transforming Self, Society, and Business
- MIT CoLab
Follow Louka Parry:
- LinkedIn
Tune in to be inspired, challenged, and reminded why love truly is at the heart of learning.
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