The Oprah Podcast

Oprah and Jonathan Haidt on How Kids Can Choose Fun and Freedom in a Screen Filled World

May 20, 2025
Join social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation, and award-winning science journalist Catherine Price, known for How to Break Up with Your Phone, as they tackle the challenges kids face in today's tech-heavy world. They discuss how screen addiction is affecting children’s mental health and the need for parental guidance. Insights on dopamine’s role in technology habits are shared, alongside a compelling call to reclaim childhood through real-life connections and youth-led initiatives like the Luddite Club.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
INSIGHT

Childhood Rewired by Smartphones

  • Social media and smartphones have dramatically rewired childhood in just 12 years.
  • We have the capacity and optimism to roll back this phone-based childhood era.
INSIGHT

Smartphones Hack Dopamine Reward

  • Tech platforms hack dopamine systems to keep kids addicted with quick rewards.
  • These constant dopamine hits from swiping produce addiction similar to drugs.
ADVICE

Choose Real Life Over Screens

  • Choose the real life adventure path over the screen-dominated smartphone path.
  • Focus on real relationships and experiences rather than a life lived on screens.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app