Latest news with #Haidt
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
Parent groups are hosting fairs that showcase phones with limited features to try and keep children away from smartphones
Parent-led 'Alternative Device Fairs' that showcase phones with limited features designed to protect children from the negative effects of smartphones and social media have been emerging in across the U.S. These devices often include advanced parental controls and AI filters to reduce exposure to harmful content while still allowing basic communication. The fairs also help to foster collaboration among parents and help them push back against the cultural norm that every child must have a smartphone by middle school. Parent groups across the U.S. are hosting fairs to showcase "alternative devices" to keep children from owning smartphones for as long as possible. The fairs, where 'dumb' or restricted phones are exhibited to parents, have been popping up in affluent areas around the U.S., according to a report from The Atlantic. Most of the phones showcased at the event are basic and lack smart features like access to social media. Some are even fitted with AI-powered content filters, surveillance features, or parental controls. These "dumb" phones have been rising in popularity among adults trying to wean themselves off an overreliance on smartphones and parents trying to keep their kids from developing one. One school in the UK, Eton College, has implemented an official policy requiring new students to use basic phones for communication. The market for these kinds of phones is also growing rapidly, with revenue from the dumb phone market expected to hit $10.1 billion in 2025. The rise of alternative devices has been driven in part by growing concerns about the effects of smartphones and social media on children's mental health. Last year, Jonathan Haidt's bestseller The Anxious Generation argued that the smartphone era had triggered a sharp rise in anxiety, depression, and social withdrawal. The book's popularity ignited a fierce debate and triggered many parents to reconsider how and when children should engage with technology. The fairs also serve as community spaces, allowing parents to collaborate and challenge the cultural expectation that every child must have a smartphone by middle school. Haidt advocates for this kind of community action in the book. He argues that individual efforts by parents are often ineffective because of strong social pressures. For example, parents don't want their children to be excluded because they are the only ones without phones or social media. Haidt suggests several schemes, including phone-free schools and coordinated action with parents agreeing to delay smartphone ownership or social media use until age 16 or later. A few of these groups have emerged virtually over the year. In the UK, a group called the Smartphone Free Childhood has about 200,000 members. The group helps parents collaborate to keep smartphones out of children's hands for as long as possible, typically connecting parents at the same school to ensure phone-less kids aren't left isolated. In the US, a group called IRL NY (In Real Life New York), a parent-led organization, has also been pushing to keep smartphones out of kids' hands. Their mission centers on encouraging families to delay smartphone use and social media access for kids, advocating instead for safer, more focused alternatives. One of their key initiatives is the "Alternative Devices" program, which highlights kid-friendly phones and watches designed to minimize distractions and enhance safety. These devices typically allow for calling and texting without the full range of smartphone features. This story was originally featured on
CNBC
02-05-2025
- Health
- CNBC
By age 25, make sure to learn this crucial soft skill, says Ivy League psychologist: 'It is urgent'
Teens who overuse social media and smartphones could deprive themselves of a life skill that's essential for success, according to social psychologist and New York University professor Jonathan Haidt. Those between the ages of 13 and 18 average eight hours and 39 minutes of screen time per day, according to a 2021 report from Common Sense Media. Moreover, the company's 2023 "Constant Companion" report found that teens receive almost 240 notifications every day, and check their phones over 100 times. The result: A generation of people who can't concentrate, according to Haidt. And focus is an essential skill for success in life and at work, the social psychologist pointed out on a recent episode of The Oprah Podcast, where he spoke to a 17-year-old self-proclaimed social media addict. "It is urgent that you restore your brain," said Haidt, who earned his Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania and wrote the New York Times best-selling book, "The Anxious Generation." The smart move is to make improvements now: "If you [are on your phone up to 10 hours a day] until you're 25, then the damage might be permanent," he said. "By 25, the frontal cortex is kind of done changing. … At that point, it's going to be much harder to get your attention back." Social media is "shattering" attention spans, he noted: "These things are designed to interrupt you." And an inability to concentrate can hinder you personally and professionally, according to Haidt. It becomes harder to maintain personal relationships, or even hold down a job, when you have trouble paying attention to anyone or anything beyond your phone. "Do you think any employer's going to find it useful to hire someone who can't focus on what they're supposed to focus on?" he asked. Haidt's book, which connects social media and smartphone addiction directly to poor mental health among young people, has generated controversy. Some readers believe it overlooks other, equally significant causes of anxiety and unhappiness in younger people — genetics, brain chemical imbalances and trauma, to name a few. However, research has shown that social development can suffer when kids and teens over-depend on devices rather than interacting in person. And in 2023, then-U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory warning about the mental health risks brought on by social media and smartphones, citing studies showing that can lead to higher rates of anxiety and depression. Haidt advised re-building your ability to focus by committing to using your phone less and suggested getting a small group of friends and family to join the challenge with you. "If you can find three other family members, three friends to do this with," you'll have a better chance at breaking the habit so you can build focus, Haidt said. "I would recommend going cold turkey [from social apps] for a month, if you can." When you get the urge to grab your phone, consider making a swap: Instead, start reading, writing in a journal, completing a movie you started or going outside. Then finish that activity before moving on to something else, Haidt recommended. Consider listening to music while you're trying to finish chores or get work done, too: Though it may sound counterintuitive, music can help you concentrate, according to Srini Pillay, a Harvard psychiatrist, brain researcher and chief medical officer. "There are many ways that music can impact the brain's ability to focus," he wrote for CNBC Make It in 2023. "One mechanism involves decreasing stress and cortisol, which allows the brain's attention center to operate without interruption." Just steer clear of songs that might make you sad, or are so catchy they make it more difficult for you to stay on task. "In the brain, the focus centers are directly connected to the regions that process emotion, so any music that makes you more emotionally volatile could disrupt your concentration," he wrote.
Daily Maverick
30-04-2025
- Health
- Daily Maverick
'Phone-based childhood' is not just a digital distraction but a direct route to anxiety and depression.
In his book The Anxious Generation, author Jonathan Haidt advocates for far stricter rules for smartphone use to allow children to develop naturally. Jonathan Haidt is a social psychologist at New York University's Stern School of Business. His research examines the foundations of morality, and how morality varies across cultural and political divisions. Haidt is the author of several New York Times bestsellers and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Since 2018, he has been studying the contributions of social media to the decline of teen mental health and the rise of political dysfunction. His main idea is that children are overprotected offline but underprotected online, and this is causing a decline in their wellbeing. His proposed solutions include smartphone bans in schools, raising the age for social media use to 16 years, enforcing the existing limits on social media much more strictly and promoting more play and adventurous activities offline. In his 2024 book, The Anxious Generation, Haidt explains that in the 'real world' children are conscious of the bodies of others and interact at the given moment and invest in relationships, whereas in the 'virtual world' they are disembodied and nobody is needed. Communication involves a substantial number of one-to-many communications, and multiple communications in parallel. Haidt introduces the idea of a 'phone-based childhood' and argues that the decline in unsupervised outdoor play has led to significant mental health issues in Generation Z — those born after 1995. Decline in teen mental health Part 1 of the book lays out the facts about the decline in teen mental health and wellbeing in the 21st century, indicated by a sharp rise in the rates of anxiety, depression and self-harm. In part 2, he explains that the reach of the mental health crisis lies in parental fearfulness and overprotection. In the 1990s, smartphones, along with overprotection, acted like experienced blockers that made it difficult for children and adolescents to get real-world social experiences. Haidt examines how smartphones and social media affect childhood development, focusing on five key aspects: slow-growth childhood, free play, attunement, social learning and sensitive periods for learning. He further discusses the importance of unsupervised, risky play for children's psychological development, and contrasts the increasing restrictions on children's physical activities with their unrestricted access to the digital world. He argues that unsupervised outdoor play builds resilience and confidence and teaches children how to handle risks and challenges. Four foundational harms In part 3, Haidt presents research that shows that a phone-based childhood disrupts child development in several ways. He explores four foundational harms: sleep deprivation, social deprivation, attention fragmentation and addiction. He then zooms in on girls and shows that social media doesn't just correlate with mental illness, but causes it. The author explains why social media harms girls more than boys, outlining four main reasons: visual social comparison and perfectionism, relational aggression, emotional sharing and contagion, and predation and harassment. Haidt also explores the unique challenges boys face in the digital age, discussing how digital immersion leads to social isolation and fragmented attention. Part 3 concludes by highlighting the impact of technology on spiritual wellbeing, arguing that the phone-based life leads to spiritual degradation for both adolescents and adults. Part 4 underlines the urgent need for societal action to mitigate the harmful effects of smartphones and social media on children. Haidt discusses the exploitative practices of tech companies, and proposes several legislative actions such as asserting a duty of care, raising the age of internet adulthood, and facilitating age verification. Haidt further outlines strategies for schools to address the growing mental health crisis among students, advocating for phone-free schools and more free play. He provides parents with practical strategies to foster healthier development in children, emphasising balancing independence and protection. I wrote to Haidt and asked him why he thought his book was taking the world by storm. His reply was simple: 'All around the world, wherever children have access to touchscreen devices, those devices have moved to the centre of their lives. From then on, family life becomes a fight over screen time. Everyone hates it. 'Mothers, in particular, feel their children being pulled away into a strange and inhumane place. The global rebellion against the phone-based childhood is being driven overwhelmingly by mothers.' What to do? Haidt calls for collective action to address these challenges. Parents, schools, governments and tech companies must work together to create a healthier environment for children to grow up in. He outlines four reforms or new norms that would provide a foundation on which a healthier childhood could be forged for the digital age. He hopes that these new norms will reverse the two big but well-intentioned mistakes we've made: 'Overprotecting children in the real world (where they need to learn from vast quantities of independent real-world experience) and underprotecting them online (where many are being severely harmed, especially during their vulnerable years of early puberty).' He writes: 'It is often hard for one family to swim against the tide of ever-increasing screen time, but if we act together, we turn the tide.' His suggestions are: No smartphones before high school: Parents should delay children's entry into round-the-clock internet access by giving only basic phones (with limited apps and no internet browser) before the age of about 14. No social media before 16: Let children get through the most vulnerable period of brain development before connecting them to a firehose of social comparison and algorithmically chosen influencers. Phone-free schools: In all schools from primary to high school, students should store their phones, smartwatches and any other personal devices that can send or receive texts in phone lockers or locked pouches during the school day to free up their attention. More independence, free play and responsibility in the real world: It's the way children naturally develop social skills, overcome anxiety and become independent young adults. In response to what governments can do in developing countries, he replied: 'The first and most powerful and least expensive step that all governments can take is to mandate that phones be stored away in a safe place for the full school day. 'Whenever that policy is strictly enforced, the results are transformative. Discipline problems go down. Attendance goes up. School becomes a lot more fun. Teachers and administrators always say the same thing: 'We hear laughter in the hallways again.'' DM Dr Mark Potterton is the principal of Sacred Heart Primary School and director of the Three2Six Refugee Children's Education Project.
Fox News
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Hugh Grant blasts his children's 'posh private schools' for 'pathetic' rules
Hugh Grant vented frustration over the "posh private schools" his children attend as he pushes to ban laptops and tablets from classrooms. On Wednesday, the 64-year-old actor joined American social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt and King Charles III's second cousin, Sophie Winkleman, at London's Knightsbridge School for an event organized by the group Close Screens, Open Minds. While speaking during the event, Grant, a father of five, accused schools of fueling children's addiction to technology and limiting outdoor play. The "Bridget Jones' Diary" star described himself as "another angry parent fighting the eternal, exhausting and depressive battle with children who only want to be on a screen." Grant also blasted school officials at "ridiculous posh private schools" for their "pathetic" rules he claimed were keeping children indoors. "They're the ones saying they're not going to play outside today because it's raining, or they can't go on the climbing frame because it's windy," the actor said, according to a story published by the Telegraph Wednesday. "It's pathetic," Grant continued. "It seems to me that there is space here for a hero school, a set of schools, to break the mold." The Golden Globe winner shares John Mungo, 12, and daughters Lulu, 9, and Blue, 7, with wife Anna Eberstein. Grant is also father to daughter Tabitha, 13, and son Felix, 11, whom he shares with his former partner Tinglan Hong. Grant explained that he decided to speak out after becoming fed up with the schools' overreliance on technology in the classroom. "The final straw was when the school started saying, with some smugness, 'We give every child a Chromebook.' And they do a lot of lessons on their Chromebook, and they do all their homework on their Chromebook, and you just thought that is the last f---ing thing they need and the last thing we need," he said. Haidt is advocating for phone-free schools in addition to a ban on smartphones for children under the age of 14 and barring students under 16 from using social media during classes. According to the Guardian, in his 2024 book "The Anxious Generation," Haidt said smartphones have created an "epidemic of mental illness" in children by "rewiring" the younger generations' brains, which led to "attention fragmentation." Grant said other parents haven't voiced their concerns about the increasing digital consumption in education due to their fears of "rocking the boat." However, he called on other parents to join him in his efforts to fight education technology [EdTech] since he believes attempts to turn to the schools or government for support will be futile. "Do you lobby the schools, and if you do, what's the weird, sudden, frozen, sepulchral silence from them on this issue?" he said. "Do you go to government? My experience, campaigning with the [press ethics campaign] Hacked Off over 12 years, is that's probably a bad idea," Grant noted. "I'm very cynical about it now. "I don't think politicians ever do anything because it's the right thing to do, even if it's the right thing to do to protect children," he added. "They'll only do what gets them votes. They only care about their career. "Therefore, I think the third option on this, which is to go after parents, is the right one. Because I think that once you get a critical mass of parents who are outraged by EdTech, as well as all the other issues, the phones, etc., that is when politicians listen because they're scared of that. "That's also when schools start to listen because they're scared of people leaving their schools and losing business."
Daily Mail
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Hugh Grant blasts 'pathetic' schools for feeding children's screen addictions as he demands laptops and tablets are removed from classrooms
Hugh Grant has condemned schools for indulging pupils' screen addictions - as the actor called for laptops and tablets to be barred from classrooms. The Hollywood star and father-of-five made the call at a campaigning event at a school in west London, as he also criticised education chiefs for bars on children playing outside. Notting Hill and Four Weddings And A Funeral star Grant, 64, accused schools of making 'pathetic' calls on what their students were allowed to do. And he described himself as 'another angry parent fighting the eternal, exhausting and depressive battle with children who only want to be on a screen'. He took part in the move organised by group Close Screens, Open Minds - appearing alongside US psychologist Dr Jonathan Haidt as well as actress Sophie Winkleman who is wed to King Charles 's second cousin Lord Frederick Windsor. The event took place at Knightsbridge School in west London, a nearby district to Kensington where Grant has previously owned homes including a penthouse that was advertised for sale for almost £8million in 2021. Some 98 per cent of teachers now use technology in classrooms across primary and secondary schools Grant, who has been married since 2018 to Swedish TV producer Anna Eberstein, lambasted classroom Chromebooks for pupils as 'the last f***ing thing they need'. Laptops and phones are available in primary and secondary school classrooms to nine out of ten pupils, according to a Department for Education report in 2023. Grant appeared at the event alongside Dr Haidt, who wants schools to phone-free as well as a ban on mobiles for those aged under 14 and under-16s to be prevented from using social media. Dr Haidt said there should be a role for technology in schools but 'not on children's desks', the Telegraph reported. And Grant was quoted as expressing his frustration about the treatment of pupils, saying: 'The final straw was when the school started saying, with some smugness, we give every child a Chromebook. 'And they do a lot of lessons on their Chromebook, and they do all their homework on their Chromebook, and you just thought that is the last f***ing thing they need, and the last thing we need.' Grant also criticised what he described as the 'kind of ridiculous posh private schools' attended by his children for allegedly restricting outdoor play. He said: 'They're the ones saying they're not going to play outside today because it's raining, or they can't go on the climbing frame because it's windy. 'It's pathetic - it seems to me that there is space here for a hero school, a set of schools, to break the mould.' Meanwhile, Peep Show sitcom actress Winkleman, said: 'We were sold a dream that technology would revolutionise education, personalise learning and prepare kids for a digital future. Billions of dollars and pounds later, where are we? 'Test scores are plummeting globally. The increased screen use is damaging children's health. 'Pupils are resorting to ChatGPT to write their essays, and teachers are employing AI to mark them, which begs the question, what's the point of school?' And Dr Haidt told the event at Knightsbridge School: 'Test scores began going down after 2012 - I don't know if it's because of the phones, or because that's when we put iPads and Chromebooks on kids' desks. 'Whatever it is, as soon as we brought in the EdTech, scores plunged.' MailOnline has contacted representatives for Hugh Grant for further comment. His calls come after the Children's Commissioner earlier this month suggested that smartphone use should be restricted for children outside of school to keep them safe 'beyond the classroom'. She spoke out as a new survey of 19,000 schools and colleges found that the vast majority already restricted mobile phone use during the school day. Dame Rachel de Souza said stronger action was needed to protect children 'outside of the school gates', including restricting smartphone use and a possible social media ban for under-16s. A poll of children aged between eight and 15 also found that almost one in four spent more than four hours each day using a computer, phone, tablet or games console. Some 69 per cent of children devote more than two hours daily to electronic devices, while six per cent even said they used them more than six hours a day, the YouGov survey reported. Dame Rachel said: 'These children are not spending these hours on their phones while sat in school. It goes much wider than that. 'If we want to protect children, we must broaden our focus beyond school gates and ensure they are safe online at all times.' Schools in England were given non-statutory Government guidance in February last year intended to restrict the use of phones during the school day. Meanwhile, Labour was last month accused of 'capitulating' to tech giants and 'betraying our children' by 'gutting' laws that would have included a ban on smartphones in schools. Proposed legislation, known as the Safer Phones Bill, has been introduced to Parliament by Labour backbencher Josh McAlister. The Bill aims to protect under-16s from addictive social media content on sites like TikTok and Snapchat and prevent them 'doom scrolling' on their phones. Majority of young peole support stricter rules on social media - poll The majority of young people support the idea of placing stricter rules on social media, with more than 60 per cent saying they believe it does more harm than good. A study from new think tank The New Britain Project and polling firm More in Common found that three-quarters of those aged 16 to 24 said stronger rules were needed to protect young people from social media harms, and social media was named as the most negative influence on teens' mental health. According to the research, which surveyed more than 1,600 16-to-24-year-olds, 55 per cent said social media had gotten worse in the last five years, with 62 per cent saying it has become less safe for young people. Four out of five young people also said they would try to keep their own children off social media for as long as possible. In general, young women were more negative about social media than young men, and half of all young people said they regretted time spent on their phones while growing up. Luke Tryl, executive director at More in Common, said: 'Far from feeling empowered by smartphones and social media this research shows that many Gen Z Britons regret the time they spent on their devices and wish they'd waited longer to access social media - so much so they would try and keep their own children off social media for as long as possible - but they personally now feel they would struggle to quit.' If passed into law, it would instruct UK chief medical officers to publish advice for parents on the use of smartphones and social media by children. It would also compel ministers to say within a year whether they plan to raise the age at which children can consent for their data to be shared without parental permission. But Mr MacAlister and the Government today faced anger over the watering-down of his initial proposals following talks with ministers. The Whitehaven and Workington MP had originally planned for his private members' bill to call for a legal requirement to make all schools in England mobile-free zones. Mr MacAlister also wanted to commit the Government to review further regulation of the design, supply, marketing and use of smartphones by under-16s. As MPs debated the Bill's second reading, Tory MP Kit Malthouse claimed the officially-titled Protection of Children Bill was now a 'hollowed-out gesture'. The former education secretary told the House of Commons he lamented 'the gutting of what could have been a landmark Bill' Mr Malthouse claimed the Government had 'dithered, diluted and capitulated', adding: 'We should all be furious about this. 'We should all be furious about the delay and the prevarication that is being injected into what could have been a huge step forward for parents and children. 'I cannot then understand why the Government has pressured (Mr MacAlister) to produce what is, frankly, a cosmetic plug, betraying our children and capitulating to big tech. 'I'm afraid this Bill is a shell of what it could have been, and as a result, is yet another missed opportunity to improve the lives of our young people.' Fellow Tory MP Sir Ashley Fox said he suspected a Government whip had told Mr MacAlister 'he had a very promising career ahead of him should he agree to do the right thing and water this legislation down to the point where it doesn't actually do very much at all'. Intervening, Mr MacAlister said: 'Private members' Bills are often a shot in the dark, and my aim from the beginning of this process has been, yes, to have the national debate. 'But also to put all of my energy on landing this with some action and progress.' Speaking in support of his Bill, Mr MacAlister - a former teacher - told MPs that the average 12-year-old spends 21 hours a week on their smartphone 'This is a fundamental rewiring of childhood itself and it's happened in little over a decade,' he added. 'We must act on excessive screen time today in the same way we acted on smoking back then, and like debates that were had on smoking and car seatbelts, it took a process of legislation rather than one 'big bang' event. 'That's why starting today with these initial steps and then following them through with major action soon will be so important.' Data protection minister Sir Chris Bryant said he was 'not going to make any arguments today against action'. 'Everybody accepts that action is inevitable in this sphere,' he added. Sir Chris said the Government was working to implement the already-passed Online Safety Act 'as fast as we possibly can' A proposed bill aims to protect under-16s from addictive social media content on sites such as TikTok and Snapchat and prevent them 'doom scrolling' on their phones He added that illegal content codes will come into force this month, with new duties on social media companies to detect and remove some content including child sexual abuse and terrorism material. He said children's safety codes are 'nearly finalised', and told the Commons that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology was running a feasibility study into the impact of smartphones and social media. That is due to report in May, so ministers 'have all the information that we need to make a considered view', Sir Chris added. MPs agreed to adjourn the debate, which was listed to resume on July 11.
