The speaker raises concerns about the balance needed when discussing the relationship between social media and mental health, emphasizing the difference between correlation and causation. They highlight the divide between skeptics and alarmists in research, asserting the importance of moving from correlational studies to experiments to understand causality. By collecting and reviewing numerous experiments, the speaker aims to address the critics and provide evidence supporting the potential harmful effects of social media on mental health, despite the ongoing debate within the scientific community.
Is Gen Z’s mental health in decline because their “phone-based childhood” has flooded them with anxiety and ruined their sleep? Or is there a more complex mix of factors at play? Jonathan Haidt makes his case for the former explanation in his latest book, The Anxious Generation.
While many people intuitively agree with his argument that phones and social media are ruining kids, some researchers are accusing Haidt of coming up with a grand overarching theory that isn’t supported by the data. Kara brings the moral psychologist and NYU professor onto the podcast to discuss his ideas, the criticism he’s gotten, and his proposed solutions to the problem.
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