Jonathan Haidt

True, but I think it's about to turn around. You tell me. So one of the key ideas in my book is collective action. Mm-hmm. The reason we fell into this so quickly is that once a few kids got a smartphone and social media, that put pressure on all the other kids to get it because they don't want to be left out.

True, but I think it's about to turn around. You tell me. So one of the key ideas in my book is collective action. Mm-hmm. The reason we fell into this so quickly is that once a few kids got a smartphone and social media, that put pressure on all the other kids to get it because they don't want to be left out.

And that puts pressure on the parents to give in because they don't want the kid to be left out. So this is called a collective action problem where we're not making up our, we're not, each parent isn't deciding, hmm, what are the pros and cons of getting a phone? We're not making our private decisions. It's collectively made for us. There's a lot of pressure. similarly about how to parent.

And that puts pressure on the parents to give in because they don't want the kid to be left out. So this is called a collective action problem where we're not making up our, we're not, each parent isn't deciding, hmm, what are the pros and cons of getting a phone? We're not making our private decisions. It's collectively made for us. There's a lot of pressure. similarly about how to parent.

And that puts pressure on the parents to give in because they don't want the kid to be left out. So this is called a collective action problem where we're not making up our, we're not, each parent isn't deciding, hmm, what are the pros and cons of getting a phone? We're not making our private decisions. It's collectively made for us. There's a lot of pressure. similarly about how to parent.

I co-founded an organization called Let Grow, letgrow.org, with a wonderful woman named Lenore Skenazy. And the reason she got into this area is that she let her nine-year-old son ride the New York City subway alone in the year 2008, I think it was. And he knew the subway system. He went from a store back to his house. Everything was great. He loved it.

I co-founded an organization called Let Grow, letgrow.org, with a wonderful woman named Lenore Skenazy. And the reason she got into this area is that she let her nine-year-old son ride the New York City subway alone in the year 2008, I think it was. And he knew the subway system. He went from a store back to his house. Everything was great. He loved it.

I co-founded an organization called Let Grow, letgrow.org, with a wonderful woman named Lenore Skenazy. And the reason she got into this area is that she let her nine-year-old son ride the New York City subway alone in the year 2008, I think it was. And he knew the subway system. He went from a store back to his house. Everything was great. He loved it.

But she went on the news and talked about this. And the hate mail, people saying, you're the worst mother in America. How could you ever do that? Your kid could be abducted. And so this overprotection, which is harming kids, that's what led Lenore to write a book called Free Range Kids, and then we founded Let Grow.

But she went on the news and talked about this. And the hate mail, people saying, you're the worst mother in America. How could you ever do that? Your kid could be abducted. And so this overprotection, which is harming kids, that's what led Lenore to write a book called Free Range Kids, and then we founded Let Grow.

But she went on the news and talked about this. And the hate mail, people saying, you're the worst mother in America. How could you ever do that? Your kid could be abducted. And so this overprotection, which is harming kids, that's what led Lenore to write a book called Free Range Kids, and then we founded Let Grow.

But to return to my point about collective action, many parents, mothers especially, are afraid to let their kid out because they'll be judged by others. And so the way out of this is through collective action. We can get out of this if we act together. And so in the book, I propose four norms that if we do them, And it doesn't have to be everybody.

But to return to my point about collective action, many parents, mothers especially, are afraid to let their kid out because they'll be judged by others. And so the way out of this is through collective action. We can get out of this if we act together. And so in the book, I propose four norms that if we do them, And it doesn't have to be everybody.

But to return to my point about collective action, many parents, mothers especially, are afraid to let their kid out because they'll be judged by others. And so the way out of this is through collective action. We can get out of this if we act together. And so in the book, I propose four norms that if we do them, And it doesn't have to be everybody.

It can just be you and five friends first, and then it can be you and your kid's school. If we do this, we escape from the phone-free childhood. Here it is. One, no smartphone before high school or age 14. Do not give your kid a touchscreen. Laptop is not nearly as bad, but there are issues still. An iPad, it turns out, is just as bad.

It can just be you and five friends first, and then it can be you and your kid's school. If we do this, we escape from the phone-free childhood. Here it is. One, no smartphone before high school or age 14. Do not give your kid a touchscreen. Laptop is not nearly as bad, but there are issues still. An iPad, it turns out, is just as bad.

It can just be you and five friends first, and then it can be you and your kid's school. If we do this, we escape from the phone-free childhood. Here it is. One, no smartphone before high school or age 14. Do not give your kid a touchscreen. Laptop is not nearly as bad, but there are issues still. An iPad, it turns out, is just as bad.

It's the touchscreen technology that's super, super addictive because you get stimulus response reinforcement, stimulus response reinforcement. Television didn't do that.

It's the touchscreen technology that's super, super addictive because you get stimulus response reinforcement, stimulus response reinforcement. Television didn't do that.

It's the touchscreen technology that's super, super addictive because you get stimulus response reinforcement, stimulus response reinforcement. Television didn't do that.