Event Summary
On April 8, AEI held the fourth lecture in the American Dream Lecture Series. New York University’s Jonathan Haidt delivered the lecture on his new book, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness.
Dr. Haidt argued that the sharp rise of unhappiness in children in 2012 coincided with the widespread adoption of new technology and the decline of the play-based childhood. He posited that a decline in community and institutions also played a part in the sharp rise in anxiety among Gen Z. In conversation with AEI’s Christine Rosen, Dr. Haidt discussed the importance of letting kids take risks in the real world and the ways that the government can intervene to force Big Tech companies to better protect children.
Dr. Haidt emphasized that the solutions should be community based. Individual parents may not want to deny their child a phone, but if entire communities do, parents would go along. He offered four steps we can take to tackle this problem: no smartphones until age 14, no social media before age 16, phone-free schools, and the reintroduction of the play-based childhood.
The event concluded with audience Q&A.
—Sophie Rizzieri
Event Description
In 2012, Mark Zuckerberg proclaimed his hope that Facebook would “rewire the way people spread and consume information” and transform “many of our core institutions and industries.” Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms have since undeniably shaped modern society, but many argue that in the process they have contributed to the fragmentation of American culture and politics. How did this happen? What habits of mind and behavior has social media shaped to damage the health of American people and institutions? Can we individually or institutionally mitigate these negative impacts?
Join us for the fourth lecture in the American Dream Lecture Series as New York University’s Jonathan Haidt discusses how social media has warped American life and how we can overcome its pernicious influence, followed by a conversation with AEI’s Christine Rosen. Copies of his forthcoming book, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, will be available.