"Upstream" with Erik Torenberg E84: Let’s Fix Social Media with Jonathan Haidt
Oct 10, 2024
In this engaging discussion, Jonathan Haidt, a renowned social psychologist and author of 'The Anxious Generation,' delves into how social media significantly affects youth mental health. He highlights the importance of real, unstructured play for children in a digital world. Haidt also examines the dual role of social media in democracy, revealing its potential dangers and the necessity of reforms to protect young users. The conversation urges a collaborative approach to tackle these pressing challenges, stressing community support and intentional regulation.
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Two-Act Tragedy Of Childhood Rewiring
- Haidt frames the crisis as a two-act tragedy: overprotected play-based childhood then the smartphone rewiring after 2010.
- The abrupt global mental-health decline for teens aligns with rapid smartphone and social media adoption.
Play Loss Then Phone Surge
- The decline before 2010 was loss of unsupervised play and rising parental overprotection.
- The real inflection occurs around 2012–2014 when smartphones with front-facing cameras and high-speed internet became ubiquitous.
Not A Typical Moral Panic
- This isn't a normal moral panic because harms are widespread, observed personally, and youth say they'd prefer everyone off social media.
- Rapid, observable international patterns and youth willingness to quit differentiate this from past tech panics.