277: Raising Children in the Age of Social Media with “Anxious Generation” Researcher Zach Rausch

Jan 1, 2025

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In this episode, I sit down with Zach Rausch, lead researcher on the bestselling book “The Anxious Generation,” to discuss the impact social media is having on children, how we’re seeing social media affect mental health today, and what parents can do to create intentional relationships with social media and technology in households. Zach talks about the “great rewiring of childhood” that has occurred within the last decade, current trends in adolescent mental health, and why these trends aren’t just an American issue. He also explains the perfect storm of social media usage during “periods of particular vulnerability,” how boys and girls are targeted differently on social media, and why the introduction of the forward-facing camera was so significant for our culture. Finally, we talk about why millennial parents are the last generation that can create change for our kids, how social media can be positive, what phone-free schools can look like, and more.

Key Takeaway / Points:

On the “great rewiring of childhood”
Phone-based childhoods vs. community-based childhoods
On the trends we’re seeing in adolescent mental health
On the international parallels we’re seeing in depressive episode trends
On the perfect storm of social media during “periods of particular vulnerability”
Breaking down the data of daily social media usage vs. in-person socializing
Why millennial parents are the last generation that can create change for our kids
How boys and girls are targeted differently on social media platforms
How technology and social media influence each other
On the significance of the forward-facing camera
What can we do individually as parents?
On the future of phone-free schools
On the positives of social media
On the notion of fear-mongering around the dangers of social media
How Zach fills his cup and his recent technology Shabbat

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