The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg

The Great Rewiring of Childhood

Mar 28, 2024

Psychologist Jonathan Haidt joins to discuss the impact of technology on mental health, focusing on Gen Z and the rise of mental illness. They delve into solutions, French vs. English Enlightenment, and parenting challenges in the digital age.

01:20:11

Episode guests

Jonathan Haidt

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Excessive screen time and online interactions are linked to a rise in teen mental health issues, necessitating delayed technology exposure and real-world connections for healthier childhood development.

Safetyism and online overprotection contribute to teen mental health concerns, emphasizing the need for offline experiences and phone-free policies in schools.

Technology's influence on governance poses challenges for liberal democracies, requiring a balance between social control and democratic values.

Deep dives

Exploring Teen Mental Health Decline

The podcast delves into the significant decline in teen mental health since around 2012, attributing it to the introduction of smartphones with fast internet and social media platforms, shifting adolescents' social lives online. This rapid shift in childhood rewiring has led to a widespread epidemic of mental illness, posing a global health concern, especially affecting preteen girls.

Introduction

2min

The Great Rewiring of Childhood

5min

Exploring Historical Context and the Evolution of Social Media Impact

5min

Evolution of Weapons and Societal Dynamics

27min

Parenting as Gardening: Nurturing vs. Molding

19min

Parenting, Technology, and Societal Divisions

14min

Discussion on Restricting Teen Internet Access for Child Protection

2min

Jonathan Haidt makes his long-heralded return to The Remnant to discuss his new book, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. He and Jonah discuss the unique issues facing Gen Z and the mental health crisis brought on by the proliferation of smartphones and social media. And unlike many other public intellectuals, Haidt has solutions. In regular Remnant fashion, Jonah also steers the conversation into the differences between the French and English Enlightenment, and how understandings of human nature can affect how we parent.

Show Notes:

—The Coddling of the American Mind

—The Remnant with Rob Henderson

—The Remnant with Tim Carney

—What the Web Needs: More Gated Communities

—New York Magazine on the freedom of sex

—Hayek's Nobel speech

—Heterodox Academy website

—Let Grow website

—The Anxious Generation website

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