Prof. Haidt has built upon his research in his previous book, reviewed here (https://www.margueritereads.com/home/the-coddling-of-the-american-mind-how-good-intentions-and-bad-ideas-are-setting-up-a-generation-for-failure-by-greg-lukianoff-and-jonathan-haidt?rq=haidt) . That book documented the research that describes the parenting emphasis on safety, taken to the extreme. Likewise, the extreme emphasis on children’s feelings, to the point where rational decision-making is consistently trumped by how one feels, turning children into emotionally crippled adults, avoiding opposing viewpoints, requiring a trigger warning if anything said could cause an unsettled feeling, claiming that disagreements are somehow equivalent to physical attacks (microaggressions), requiring safe spaces from dissent. This has bred a fragility, lack of confidence, and high level of paranoia into Gen Z, not preparing them for real adult life. Most public adult life cares little to not at all about one’s feelings.

Haidt presents research to describe the “Great Rewiring of Childhood,” how the introduction of the smart phone, followed by addictive social media apps, web-based video games, and online porn have increased anxiety and depression in Gen Z, making their entry into adulthood very difficult. Haidt breaks down the difference as play-based childhood, as lived prior to 1990, and phone-based childhood, as experienced now. Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat are used by many children under 13, despite the legal limit—there is no real enforcement or barrier, so kids lie. Girls suffer due to the social group pressures, frenemies, body image warping, and sexual pressures. Boys suffer through addictive uses of online porn, robbing them of any chance at learning dating and socializing skills needed to meet, date, and build relationships. Online gaming steals time better spend actually hanging out with friends, or building skills, part-time working, being out in nature. Not only are anxiety and depression at record high levels for young people, but their sense of what life is all about, a sense of meaning and purpose, is damaged.

Haidt provides alot of evidence for his conclusions. He also provides suggestions, ways that families, schools, and government can pull preteens and teens back from devices, and more toward the things they really need— time spent with friends, time to simply play without adult interference, opportunities to practice independence in the world, time spent in natural environments. Each of these pursuits build needed competencies toward adulthood, and add to the internal confidence bank needed to move out into the real world, discover your interests, and pursue them without fear.

Haidt has a free substack where he posts any changes in research, and subsequent changes in his viewpoints, https://www.afterbabel.com/. It is worth a look, with thoughtful, data-driven essays such as “Play Deprivation Is A Major Cause of the Teen Mental Health Crisis”, “The Great Deterioration of Local Community Was A Major Driver of The Loss of The Play-Based Childhood”, and “How To Reduce the Sexual Solicitation of Teens on Instagram” as examples. Many of these are written by colleagues and others working in this field. If we followed Haidt’s four basic prescriptions, we would go a long way to improving mental health and halting the damage:

No smartphones before high school.
No social media before 16.
Phone-free schools (lock them up upon entering, get them as you leave.)
Far more unsupervised play and childhood independence.

In essence, the way Boomers and Gen X grew up, it’s that simple. Read the book, see how you think about it. It’s about the health and happiness of our children, the most important thing.