Jonathan Haidt

Because if you've raised your kids since they were two with an iPad or a multifunction device, you've conditioned their brain that at this first hint of boredom, this isn't so interesting. It's not the most interesting thing. There might be something more interesting over here or there or there or there. Let me check it out. And so here, let me give you some, okay.

I'm sure some of your listeners are thinking, oh my God, you mean I have to take it all away? How am I gonna raise my kid with no screens? What are they gonna do? So let me give you, I think this comparison might help a lot of your listeners. I'm not saying get rid of all screens. Let me just explain. Here's good screen use.

I'm sure some of your listeners are thinking, oh my God, you mean I have to take it all away? How am I gonna raise my kid with no screens? What are they gonna do? So let me give you, I think this comparison might help a lot of your listeners. I'm not saying get rid of all screens. Let me just explain. Here's good screen use.

I'm sure some of your listeners are thinking, oh my God, you mean I have to take it all away? How am I gonna raise my kid with no screens? What are they gonna do? So let me give you, I think this comparison might help a lot of your listeners. I'm not saying get rid of all screens. Let me just explain. Here's good screen use.

Using a television to play a long story for a kid who is watching it with another kid or adult. That's good because humans are storytelling animals. We love stories. We've always raised our kids on stories for tens of thousands of years. And so if a kid is watching a story on a TV screen, And it's going to play for 30 minutes or 90 minutes, and he can't manipulate it. He can't change the channel.

Using a television to play a long story for a kid who is watching it with another kid or adult. That's good because humans are storytelling animals. We love stories. We've always raised our kids on stories for tens of thousands of years. And so if a kid is watching a story on a TV screen, And it's going to play for 30 minutes or 90 minutes, and he can't manipulate it. He can't change the channel.

Using a television to play a long story for a kid who is watching it with another kid or adult. That's good because humans are storytelling animals. We love stories. We've always raised our kids on stories for tens of thousands of years. And so if a kid is watching a story on a TV screen, And it's going to play for 30 minutes or 90 minutes, and he can't manipulate it. He can't change the channel.

He's just going to watch it. And if there's someone he can talk about it with or laugh with, that's actually fine. That's a pretty good thing. I wouldn't say, you know, watch a movie every single day, but don't worry about your kid watching, you know, a couple movies a week. That's totally fine because that's story time. Now, here's what's really, really bad. It's fragmenting time.

He's just going to watch it. And if there's someone he can talk about it with or laugh with, that's actually fine. That's a pretty good thing. I wouldn't say, you know, watch a movie every single day, but don't worry about your kid watching, you know, a couple movies a week. That's totally fine because that's story time. Now, here's what's really, really bad. It's fragmenting time.

He's just going to watch it. And if there's someone he can talk about it with or laugh with, that's actually fine. That's a pretty good thing. I wouldn't say, you know, watch a movie every single day, but don't worry about your kid watching, you know, a couple movies a week. That's totally fine because that's story time. Now, here's what's really, really bad. It's fragmenting time.

So the really, the worst use of screens is, here, kid, here's my iPhone or an iPad. Shut up. We're in a restaurant or I'm trying to make dinner. Shut up. Here you go. That's the worst thing you can do because that's not story time. That's clicking, getting rewards, clicking, getting rewards, moving over. That is what damages a child's developing ability to pay attention.

So the really, the worst use of screens is, here, kid, here's my iPhone or an iPad. Shut up. We're in a restaurant or I'm trying to make dinner. Shut up. Here you go. That's the worst thing you can do because that's not story time. That's clicking, getting rewards, clicking, getting rewards, moving over. That is what damages a child's developing ability to pay attention.

So the really, the worst use of screens is, here, kid, here's my iPhone or an iPad. Shut up. We're in a restaurant or I'm trying to make dinner. Shut up. Here you go. That's the worst thing you can do because that's not story time. That's clicking, getting rewards, clicking, getting rewards, moving over. That is what damages a child's developing ability to pay attention.

So I would urge no fragmenting time until at least 14. Once you give them a phone, they're going to do fragmenting time all day long. But at least let their brain get through early puberty before you break attention into tiny little pieces.

So I would urge no fragmenting time until at least 14. Once you give them a phone, they're going to do fragmenting time all day long. But at least let their brain get through early puberty before you break attention into tiny little pieces.

So I would urge no fragmenting time until at least 14. Once you give them a phone, they're going to do fragmenting time all day long. But at least let their brain get through early puberty before you break attention into tiny little pieces.

That's right. So I misspoke before when I said actually the biggest damage is to their attention. I think the mental illness, the fragmenting of attention, and the loss of social skills, each one is a gigantic catastrophe, not just for the country, but for the world, because it's happening all over the developed world. Wherever we raise kids on touchscreens, this is happening.

That's right. So I misspoke before when I said actually the biggest damage is to their attention. I think the mental illness, the fragmenting of attention, and the loss of social skills, each one is a gigantic catastrophe, not just for the country, but for the world, because it's happening all over the developed world. Wherever we raise kids on touchscreens, this is happening.

That's right. So I misspoke before when I said actually the biggest damage is to their attention. I think the mental illness, the fragmenting of attention, and the loss of social skills, each one is a gigantic catastrophe, not just for the country, but for the world, because it's happening all over the developed world. Wherever we raise kids on touchscreens, this is happening.

So what we know is that the millennial generation, which is not mentally ill, they were, their dating life, it all runs through the apps. You'd think they're having a lot of sex, it's so easy, but they're actually having less sex than any previous generation. So there was already a sex recession for the millennials. Now I haven't been able to get data- Why is that?