Jonathan Haidt on How to Free the Anxious Generation (Part One)

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Apr 30, 2025

In this insightful discussion, Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist and bestselling author of 'The Anxious Generation', dives into the alarming mental health crisis among today's youth. He links this rise in anxiety to the decline of free play and the overwhelming influence of smartphones. Haidt shares practical strategies for parents and educators to foster resilience in children, emphasizing the need for independence in childhood. He also critiques social media's role in shaping behavior and community, urging a reevaluation of its impact on young lives.

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INSIGHT

Loss of Play Due to Lost Trust

The decline of free outdoor play in childhood mainly resulted from the collapse of adult trust and social capital. - Parents especially mothers became overly cautious, restricting kids' unsupervised exploration essential for development.

ANECDOTE

Puppy Teaches Childhood Development

Jonathan Haidt shares a story about his puppy learning courage through repeated fearful encounters in the park. - This illustrates the importance of risk-taking for brain and skill development in a safe environment.

INSIGHT

Childhood's Shift to Phone Addiction

The childhood shift: from outdoor play lost in the 90s to an indoor "phone-based" life after 2010. - Smartphones and social media algorithms turned kids into addicts with rising mental health issues from 2012 onward.

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“This great rewiring of childhood, I argue, is the single largest reason for the tidal wave of adolescent mental illness that began in the early 2010s.” — Jonathan Haidt

The mental health of young people has become one of the most pressing issues of our time. In recent months, debates have raged about the impact of smartphones on adolescent wellbeing: Should they be banned in schools? Should children under 14 or 16 even have access to them? These questions have fuelled a growing movement to address the crisis in youth mental health — and no one has done more to lead this conversation than American social psychologist Jonathan Haidt.

Haidt’s groundbreaking book, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, has topped bestseller lists on both sides of the Atlantic, sparking urgent conversations among parents, educators and policymakers. Drawing on years of research, Haidt argues that the dramatic rise in adolescent mental distress is linked to two seismic shifts: the decline of free play in childhood and the proliferation of smartphones.

As the paperback edition of The Anxious Generation hit the shelves, Haidt returned to the UK to share a hopeful message: it’s not too late to act. In conversation with BBC journalist Jonny Dymond, he outlined practical strategies for parents, teachers and teenagers to counter the forces eroding mental wellbeing — and inspire a new generation to thrive.

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