Are Smartphones Ruining Childhood? | Jonathan Haidt | TED
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- Опубликовано: 20 сен 2024
- Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt's latest book, "The Anxious Generation," is shaping cultural conversations and sparking fierce debates about the role of smartphones in society. In this timely conversation, he investigates how a smartphone-based childhood, amplified by overprotective parenting, is driving the mental health crisis among young people. He also explores the push for phone bans in schools and the concrete steps we can take to improve the mental health of young people around the world. (This conversation was hosted by Elise Hu, the host of TED Talks Daily. Visit ted.com/membership to support TED today and join more exclusive events like this one.) (Recorded at TED Membership on August 13, 2024)
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I agree 100% with all this, I would just add that another big issue for these kids has been the demands put on them so early. My son was born in 1998 & my daughter in 2000, I remember my daughter in 1st grade coming home crying and worried, hyperventilating over a test she had the next day. Parents had to write their child a letter encouraging them to do well. But she was freaking out because she thought if she didn’t do good then her life would be ruined! 1st grade! And this behavior continued throughout college. They make these kids feel like if they don’t have their lives planned out by 8th or 9th grade then they’ll just end up flipping burgers for the rest of their lives and not amount to anything. The pressure my kids felt from school to have to have everything figured out was insane! Both of my kids ended up in counseling because of the anxiety. Plus, it doesn’t help that recess is a thing of the past now and lunch has been shortened to 20 min with no free time. It can’t just all be tests and WORK WORK WORK, study, tests, when they’re kids and then hurry up and be grown to WORK WORK WORK too. I haven’t even touched on these kids watching their parents struggle to make ends meet who “did everything right” as far as getting a college degree and doing everything we’re telling them to do also. Kids raising themselves on top of having social media because parents have to work 2-3 jobs and can’t parent. It’s so much more than just the internet, but the internet is a huge part!! ❤
I'm so glad I was homeschooled, the more I learn about schools the more horrified I am.
I was born in 85. The 90's was the last of real childhood.
I would say it ended in early 2010's since iPhones came out in 07, Android 08, and iPad 10. Kids probably didn't get access to that tech till 10 and even then Instagram wasn't even invented till late 10 which took awhile to become mainstream. Sure we had basic phones, tv, videogames, and likely a family computer, but most kids were likely restricted to using that tech to after dinner/homework and it was to late to be outside anyways. Kids likely had more non-tech indoor toys as well.
Parenting has always been lazy for most families but back then they were more likely to shove their kid outside instead of letting them stay inside. Being outside with friends was deemed allot safer back then as well so kids would naturally form friendships with neighbors and hang with schoolmates. Most kids also played sports as well some dedicating their free time to their sport outside of team practice.
@@agr0nianTV I agree with you here.
Agreed
I was born in 88. I agree with you.
People need to read books. It’s like putting WD-40 into your brain.
Or your mind. (Edited to add: WD-40 is pretty cytotoxic I imagine.)
@@fburton8🎉
Well I think an overfixation on books could be equally bad as an overfixation on smartphones for ous social lifes. It's just much less common, and much less addicting. Overall books are still good.
Here we are talking about it on social media.
True.
Social media is ruining the normal society as we used to know and experience. 😢
It's not just social media but screens in general.
To answer the question, yes. But it’s not just phones, all technology that removes human interaction is a problem. It’s gotten so bad people can’t hardly relate to one another with a phone in hand.
Exactly! Though the intention was to connect people with others, we have never been SO DISconnected than ever.
Ted Kaczynsky was right all along.
Pay attention to your children everyone.
Parenthood is the only real factor in childhood being ruined o not.
I was born in the 50’s and lived in a rural setting. When my brothers and I were younger than teens, we roamed the woods and the waterways for miles, going fishing etc. all summer. My parents had trust in us, they never knew exactly where we were and we were unsupervised. No adults were with us, we were by ourselves! We were gone from morning to dusk. Everything went well, nothing bad ever happened and my parents didn’t worry! This was a wonderful childhood that kids today almost never experience! We all grew up self confident and reliant on ourselves! Parents today would accuse my parents of neglecting us and being irresponsible! Nothing could be further from the truth!!
In Sweden phonefree Schools are becomming the norm. What surprised most, when implementing it were all the parents complaining that they couldn’t contact the children during the day. Of course the student complained a lot, but since school and parent’s were aligned, it didn’t last.
Very interesting
A good change
@@Ten4TFour It’s not everywhere, but more and more. We have a lot of digital books,and therefore most children between 7th and 9th grade have school computers (chromebooks) and the like. But some schools are thinking of going back to more books.
@@jsundb02 Thanks for the correction, it’s very helpful and necessary. The information in books are great; which is more convenient to carry on a regular basis, a backpack filled with books 📚 or Tablet? There’s much more dimension to this topic as I’m meditating on it now. Aging and change is a reality. Osteoporosis is a reality too, what are we willing to bare with from within looking ahead? lol sometimes I get anxious thinking of these things, but it’s necessary we reason.
Force the parents to make plans ahead of time and phones are given back at end of day for any need for communication after class. Emergency?, call the damn school. Now we will be able to identify what is urgent and what is not. You’ll learn
They are ruining adulthood also
Ruining is a strong word but they are harming them. I'm 45 so I've been fortunate to grow up WITHOUT high-speed Internet or really any internet at all in until 19-22 years old. So I learned how to act, interact and BE without it. Yet, I was young enough when the high-speed, wide spread Internet and our what I call, " humans 3RD hand, " came along to appreciate and utilize it easily. If I had a child TODAY they would NOT get access to a phone, iPad or ANY thing related to these things UNTIL mid to late teens, AT LEAST. In addition, I believe smartphones should be banned in schools or maybe if there was some way to have the phones set so that the ONLY thing that could be done on the phone during school hours is the ability to call 911 and the student's parent's I'd be ok with that. I had NO access to the Internet, my parents nor 911 at any time during my entire K-12 education and I was fine. Nor would my parents HAVE been ABLE to do anything for me if I had access. UNLESS your parent WORKS AT the SCHOOL YOU ATTEND, what exactly COULD they do for you in an emergency that school administrators, teachers, school nurses, principals and guidance counselors COULDN'T DO? If you left something at home which ISN'T an emergency the student could simply go to any one of those people and call them. Actual emergencies would/ could be handled by the aforementioned people. The parents who CLAIM, " they NEED to be able to get a hold of their children, " no ya don't. No... You... Don't. Step out of the helicopter parenting aircraft. It'll be OKAY. I can't imagine being a teacher and competing with smartphones for attention. F that! I'd wager just THAT factor alone stops some people from going into teaching.
Well explained 😊
I agree with you but you dont know what it would do to your kids because they're expected by their peers to have their phone and using it like everyone else.
@@jaywalker9985 ah.. I knew THIS one was coming BUT I expected it from a youngster. The ol', " all my friends, " have one, " manipulation. Ain't no different than the Jordan 3's some kids had that I NEVER had a prayer of having in 2nd or 3rd grade. Or the latest Jordans every year from lower elementary all the way thru highschool or the ZCavaricci's the guys had in 7th grade or ... Take your pick. I'd raise them with BETTER character than to fret over that. They'd thank me LATER
@@BenSmith-mg5jvAgain I agree with you but my kids are 36 and 33 son and daughter and I payed very clise attention to what they were doing but when you work you cant monitor 24 7 and there was a difference between them and the way they used it. If I had my choice they wouldnt have had one until later but I had to battle with my wife. Oh all the other kids have em we need to let them have one for emergency situations etc...
Then I watched the wife getting hooked. We live in such a crazy world. Even if you have a plan there are always mitigating circumstances that change the outcome. I still agree with you bro
I can’t imagine the freedom your kids feel! I’m 67 and my mother knew where I was every minute of the day until I left for college.
That is amazing. I’m 65 and from about 7 years old I walked alone to school. My mom teached me how to do it safely and that was it. I liked those 15 minutes alone. From 8 years my school was a bit further and I stayed over for lunch, played with other children in the break. From 8h in the morning till 16h in the afternoon my mom had no contact with me. And after 16h I played around the house in the street or the backyards. No control. Wonderful! In the end this opened up the self-responsibility to go on bicycle trips (I grew up in Holland...) with a friend to spots and cities 25 km away at the age of 13 or 14, without parents, without a way to call home. It made us thinks and act independently. And coming home our parents liked to hear the stories of our adventures and we were thrilled to tell them. My parents loved me, but didn’t overly protect me like you see happening often now.
@@a-kindred-soul7937 I grew up in the country. I had cousins and friends that lived anywhere from an eighth of a mile to a mile from me. I wasn’t allowed to walk to their houses because “somebody might get” me. I don’t know why she was so obsessed with that thought.
It isn't the phones, it's social media.
Short answer is yes, obviously.
Nobody in elementary school should be allowed to use smartphones. In secondary school, yes, but under clear guidelines because their use is bad for social skills and distracting to learning due to social media access, bullying, and games, according to research.
💕☮🌎🌌
Long shot theory: I think it could long term be a good thing. When the current generations grow up I think the access to unlimited information will be beneficial than detrimental. But while they are kids agreed it needs more monitoring and restricting imo
I think we need to be careful not to be seduced by the idea that the internet gives access to everything worthwhile in terms of information and knowledge. There is a lot more ‘out there’.
idk as someone born in 2005, I think it was quite detrimental.... me and almost everyone I know is addicted to our phones, which makes studying and hobbies, etc, much harder
I was the kid at school addicted to tech. I don't think I'd be in anyway near as good of a position as I am now if I wasn't. Everyone told me it was a problem growing up and I'm glad I didn't listen. Just because something is different to what people are used to doesn't mean it's a bad thing. 🙂
@@ALowe97 I was too! Only in my day it was programmable HP calculators and terminals connected to a mainframe miles away via a modem.
The idea of instant access to information was always going to be a positive tool for all ages. The poison pill was adding a camera as we haven't stopped looking at ourselves since. Not as we are, mind you, but as we want to be seen.
When interacting with other people, regardless of age, there is an energy exchange. Even video calls can't replace that energy exchange. This is also why long-distance relationships can struggle because of the lack of this aspect of human connection.
I teach nine-year-olds. I really wish I could share this interview with some of the parents. Nine-year-olds should not be seen glued to their phones. It is so sad.
Cell phones can have some severe adverse effects on children, particularly anxiety and depression, and I genuinely agree with many of Jonathan Haidt's points here. However, I do not believe it is entirely accurate to state that "smartphones are ruining childhood." Many other things are going on, such as how parents set limits, the kind of media kids are accessing, and even social forces that were around before smartphones. To avoid oversimplifying the problem, we should take a more balanced approach, such as promoting good habits and face-to-face time, instead of solely blaming the devices.
I'm a millennial born in 94. I grew up on computers, but there was no such thing as high-speed internet for a looonnggg time. It was dial-up, baby. No one wanted to wait an hour to watch a 5 minute video. My parents didn't want to change until I was in high school when I needed it.. Kinda miss that. Stayed on the computer less... but it's now it your fingertips 24/7... it isn't right when you think about it. Mental health was definitely a problem in 2010.
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She's mostly on Telegrams, using the user name.
Kids want to be "cool" and fit in with their peers (as we all did at that age too). Whatever we do (as parents/guardians), we (as a collective community) might need to find a way for "alternate" technologies to seem equally "cool" to our kids. Start a new fad. To do so, you have to replace one technology with another. And, yes, this could take an act of congress.
Recently, this issue has been mentioned as totally bipartisan. I agree. Come together America! :)
2024 is the year to fix this!
6:55 are we ignoring ebooks? And what about digital hobbies? Also, those of us who grew up ND, especially in rural areas, would have had a lot more peer interaction if we'd had the internet.
Ebooks or comic books are a couple of very few good things of these smart phones and technology perhaps.
Hi @Jonathan Haidt & @Elise Hugh, thank you for this honest talk about effects of technology (especially smart phones & gaming) on our kids. I believe we all should guide and help our kids to grow up in a healthier atmosphere.
There is no social interaction among kids nowadays because of smartphones
I haven’t even watched the video yet, but as a gen-Zer born in 2001, I can say yes. That being said, my concern about schools taking away students phones is that when (not if) there is a school shooting, students won’t be able to text their parents that they love them for the last time. This is America…
Quick answer: YES! And adults!
Collective effects via collective action
I was born in 1989. I am so glad i'm old enough I missed this problem. It's terrifying and I feel so bad for gen z and gen alpha. The ending of the video is hopeful though! :)
Of course but it starts as soon as a baby is given their first tablet. iPad babies are the future of gen Alpha and all future generations. The only exception is if responsible parents don't introduce their kids to personal tech early on and limit usage later on eapcially to social media.
Instead of judging and speaking about what they lose, we should insert in the schools the concept and help them make a difference between usefulness and waisting time, help them navigate the reality in which we live, add some legal constraints for useful content or avoid violence. I see many parents taking a drastic approach on their kids that just make them feel penalised, unfit and not understood that is ruining the kids anyway
i'm so glad to have subscribed to this channel as a teen.
Dumb phone was made for CIA operatives. But soon realized how much money was to be made and here we are, can't eat a meal without a pic of it. Sad times. So glad i knew life and lots of adventure before a phone.
Spoiler alert, yes. Net benefit of smartphones and social media on society is definitely in the red.
Game looks great. Thanks for advancing the 4X genre. Been waiting galf a defade for someone to take the next step.
Yes they are
They are ruining adulthood, look at all the people who can’t discern reality.
Must. Not. Read. Comments.
Not "ruining"; "ruined." We've lost an entire generation (or two).
You're not aware 😅Gen-Z of Bangladesh lead to a revolution, just search it
Do you see a connection in the increase in school shootings and the use of social media/smart phones? With kids lacking social skills, as pointed out, they do not know how to fist fight or argue so they go for a gun. Thank you for this video!
This predicament is global, worldwide and was foreseen long time ago believe it or not. My thing is why we’re not preparing to take this seriously from such time? We can’t beat ourselves up for getting caught up into someone’s idea long before the generations growth and awareness. My suggestion is maybe we can refine our heart space by introspect.
Well that would require people to take parenting seriously or at the very least limit technology till a kid is 10. It's the parents' fault that their kid has access to personal tech. Another big societal problem is that being outside alone or even in a group is considered quite dangerous nowadays. Gone are the days where parents shoved their kid outside when they wanted alone time and trusted that nothing bad would happen to their kid.
Hey TED find someone to do an episode on the Nitroplasts discovered in april! it's a new organelle that is found in a specific marine algea!
The greatest achievement of Gen-Z in 2024 can be found in Bangladesh 🇧🇩 🙌
alphax ad in this video is hilarious.
Yes. Next!
Yes, no more smartphones aka as your private tracking device (even for adults), and social media should be for adults (not video hosting platforms). Most adults have no idea how the algorithms manipulate their world view, how would kids with no parents to explain it to them understand them. I believe they deserve a fair chance in adulthood as the previous generations. I grew up when the web was still decentralized and with a real computer (much better) no giant platforms you knew what the sites were about no everything “apps” they monopolized everything. Furthermore, I also remember riding my bike at 7 to school without supervision. Now it's almost a crime😂
对于大部分人的难度是，怎么用手机替代成一个相对快乐的事情上来
aimentalhealthadvisor AI fixes this (AI Mental Health Advisor). Smartphones impacting childhood negatively.
Yes. As someone in Gen-Z who grew up with the internet and smartphones, the answer is yes.
Nah. My generation grew up on dialup , discmans and Gameboys. It really isn't that different. Could maybe argue social media but I know I don't let my kids get on there.
@@acinoralas9107 Social media is a completely different beast. Back in the day a gameboy was just a gameboy, it was pure entertainment. But kids as young as 7 years old are getting smart phones and getting groomed on social media because it's just not safe for them there. It's partly the parents fault for giving their kids phones and not supervising them.
Your opening statement about rates of depression and suicide in children going up in the USA and conclusion that cellphones are the cause… needs to be reevaluated. At least let’s look at the statistics worldwide. We are not the only country who started using cellphones…
Studies in UK (2017), South Korea (2019), China (2019), Japan (2021), Australia (2018), Canada (2020) and Germany (2020) consistently show that excessive smartphone use, especially for social media and gaming, is associated with heightened levels of depression and anxiety. These international studies shiw that the link between smartphone use and mental health issues is not confined to the USA but is a global phenomenon.
@@fburton8 first of all, what is excessive? Children who use cellphones excessively probably don’t get enough attention from parents to begin with. That could be the main problem from their birth. Plus depression in those studies were self-reported , not a reliable source of statistics I’d say.
Plus … just like the speaker in this video said “we don’t have enough evidence to confirm a strong correlation , and correlation doesn’t mean the cause”.
There are so many things aren’t taken into consideration in those studies …
@@vcat417 "Everything in moderation" is a good guiding principle. On that basis, any activity that takes up a large part of a child's free time could be considered excessive. So how much free time do children have? You will probably be able to say better than me if you're a parent. Let's consider school-age children. My guess would be 4-5 hours per day for weekdays and 8-10 hours or more at weekends. What would you consider excessive screen time? The published studies vary, but 4+ hours per day was widely regarded as excessive and associated with significant increases in mental health issues, including depression and anxiety, while 5-6+ hours per day was strongly linked to severe mental health consequences such as depression, social isolation, and sleep problems.
It's not the phone or technology. It's the lazy/ignorance parenting that ruined childhood
Yes.
Yes and no.
The smartphone is an incredible tool of information and communication.
However its also an incredible tool for easy access to entertainment. We as adults already struggle with it, for a child it will probably be much worse. Likely leading to a generation with significantly reduced social skills.
In my opinion a smartphone should not be granted to a child until they are around the ages 13-16. My arguments are that for one young children need to socialize to develop and should not be distracted by shiny toys and 2. When you grow older having local friends becomes less accessible and so a tool of communication like a phone can be of great use to keep in touch. Especially in the american suburbs or other places where mobility is heavily limited.
Top topic, but simply far too many words. Compressed into 15 minutes would be appropriate. I'd be happy to have AI summarise it for me.
I'm 16 and I feel sooo sorry for me
Smartphone help student work with peer and teacher in real time.😀
DUH!
YES
so amazing sharing, i may buy free range kids soon
To have technology possibilities. It's a gift! Learn to live with this!
The four what did he talk about?
yes!
What’s with the huge microphone blocking some of your face?
optimized podcast setup, the video is only secondary
It’s akin to asking if a wrench is ruining childhoods? I’ll save you some time, the answer is still “adults ruin childhood, not the tools in their life.
Yes. It's also ruining adult lives.
He is missing all of the online games like World of Warcraft that came out in the early 2000's that had much of the same effect as smart phones.
not exactly the same, social interactions in game were still with relatively small groups of online people and only when you were logged in(and only like after school/weekends, not 24/7). social media websites are 'forever' and everyone could potentially have access to the content that a young person posts online
also generally mmos/game forums etc are fairly anonymous, with the smartphone there is a camera that can be used to put a face to every post
Gen X SAYS : "BAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!
magnifico
I agree, parents need to club together. I dont think Covid and being isolated in pur homes helped either
They said the same thing about the stick hoop
Did they?? 😂
@@fburton8 search a million ways to die in the west stick hoop 😂
@@fburton8 search Seth Macfarlanes Wild West film, stick hoop scene
2:52
Grown ups to
This is nuts some of the stuff he is saying! To say it's "good" for your kid to be out at 1:00 in the morning (for whatever reason and regardless if they are alone or with a group) is irresponsible on the part of the adult. So much more I could say on this misleading, un-insightful conversation but I will stop there.
YEP AND I HAVEN’T EVEN WATCHED THIS
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I'm inspired.
Please spill some sugar about the bi-weekly stuff you mentioned.
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Wow 😱 I know her too
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10th
As soon as the days of stopping at the gas station for directions was over, I knew we were in trouble.
Did you throw away your cellphone yet ?? I don’t think so. Not that big of a trouble …
My kids interact with others at school from 7 am to 4 pm. That’s 9 hours 5 days a week. They use electronics any other time. What’s the problem here?
@@Starclassic25lmao exactly
I read that as “interact with otters”. I would love to have been able to interact with otters at school! As it was, the only non-human creature at my school was a gerbil (or maybe it was a hamster) in L6, what you would call 5th Grade. Pupils took turns lasting a week to look after it. If the rodent happened to die in your week, you were scarred for life (just joking). 😅
@@fburton8 bro how high are you
@@adammorra3813 30m / 100 ft above sea level, 6'1.5" tall, on my 3rd cup of coffee of the day.
@@Starclassic25 oh yeah. The problem is when so called smart people like you make statements without explanation. Elaborate your reasoning . What’s the problem with my kids? Otherwise it sounds like blah blah blah.
Jonathan Haidt is over reacting. It is not the phones that are ruining childhood it is bad parents that are
ruining childhood. Smart phones are going to be there for their entire lives. Jonathan just comes off as a hypocrite being afraid of the internet and how it hurts childhood development when he uses the internet to further his career and gain relevance. The smarter way to address this issue you see with cellphones and kids is to maybe invest it teaching kids how to use cell phones to benefit their lives in a positive way. Blocking kids from technology and future is just hurting them longer down the line. And teaching kids that cell phones need to be demonize just doesn’t help them in the world they will grow up in. But god forbid we invest in better public education in this country.
What do you reckon is a good time balance percentage-wise between online and ‘real life’ activities?
Smartphones aren't ruining our kids- Neoliberalism is. The mental health crisis we're seeing is the result of multiple generations growing up feeling the pressure of shrinking upward mobility and widening inequality, even if we can't fully articulate it. Our disillusionment manifests in how we use our phones-it’s a symptom of deeper social and economic failings, not the root cause.
Yes and Zi oni sm is the root
@@NateSnowOwlMedia Maybe if you’re in Palestine.
Yes.
YES