Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers EP327 Screens, schools, and the future of childhood: a candid dialogue with Jonathan Haidt
Jun 15, 2025
Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist and author of The Anxious Generation, dives deep into the impact of technology on childhood. He argues that while we've overprotected kids in the real world, we've given them unchecked access to social media and smartphones, leading to rising anxiety and social disconnection. Haidt stresses the need for schools to rethink phone policies and highlights the importance of play and independence in fostering resilience and social skills. The conversation reveals how we can balance tech use to support healthier development in children.
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Smartphones Rewired Childhood
- Anxiety among kids, particularly preteen girls, sharply increased around 2012 with the rise of smartphones and social media.
- This period marks the "great rewiring of childhood," impacting their mental health significantly.
Ed Tech Harms Learning Outcomes
- The shift to one-to-one devices in schools coincided with drops in student test scores starting in 2012.
- Evidence suggests ed tech introduces distractions that outweigh learning benefits, harming education outcomes especially for lower-performing students.
Implement Phone-Free Schools
- Schools must enforce phone-free policies all day, keeping phones away to reduce distractions.
- Phones in classrooms undermine focus and social interactions and diminish the purpose of attending school.
