Jonathan Haidt

They're not doing anything else. So here's the most shocking stat in the book, I think. When you look at the rates of hospital admissions for broken bones, how many kids in America break a bone and go to the hospital? Who do you think used to break bones the most? Young people, old people, boys, girls? Who are the people who are ending up in hospitals with broken bones? Teenage boys, right?

That's what it used to be. Teenage boys used to have by far the highest rates of broken bones until about 2010, 2012. Then what happens?

That's what it used to be. Teenage boys used to have by far the highest rates of broken bones until about 2010, 2012. Then what happens?

That's what it used to be. Teenage boys used to have by far the highest rates of broken bones until about 2010, 2012. Then what happens?

Once the teenage boys are all spending their time now on video games and also on their smartphones, and they are on social media too, but once everything is on the screen, teenage boys' rates drop so low that they are now less likely to break a bone than their fathers or grandfathers because teenage boys aren't doing anything that's risky.

Once the teenage boys are all spending their time now on video games and also on their smartphones, and they are on social media too, but once everything is on the screen, teenage boys' rates drop so low that they are now less likely to break a bone than their fathers or grandfathers because teenage boys aren't doing anything that's risky.

Once the teenage boys are all spending their time now on video games and also on their smartphones, and they are on social media too, but once everything is on the screen, teenage boys' rates drop so low that they are now less likely to break a bone than their fathers or grandfathers because teenage boys aren't doing anything that's risky.

And if boys aren't doing anything risky, if they're playing it safe, They're not going to turn into men, or at least it's going to be harder, I should say. Boys need to take more risks. They need to learn how to manage risk. They need to have conflicts in the real world and learn to manage them. They need to do sports. And the video games are great fun, but they don't really help the boys develop.

And if boys aren't doing anything risky, if they're playing it safe, They're not going to turn into men, or at least it's going to be harder, I should say. Boys need to take more risks. They need to learn how to manage risk. They need to have conflicts in the real world and learn to manage them. They need to do sports. And the video games are great fun, but they don't really help the boys develop.

And if boys aren't doing anything risky, if they're playing it safe, They're not going to turn into men, or at least it's going to be harder, I should say. Boys need to take more risks. They need to learn how to manage risk. They need to have conflicts in the real world and learn to manage them. They need to do sports. And the video games are great fun, but they don't really help the boys develop.

They don't develop skills. So what we're finding is that if you'll check in on kids when they're in their late 20s, The girls, they finished their education. They're more likely to have gone to college. They're more likely to have a job. Who's more likely to be living with their parents at the age of 30? It's the boys. So the boys' story is not about social media so much.

They don't develop skills. So what we're finding is that if you'll check in on kids when they're in their late 20s, The girls, they finished their education. They're more likely to have gone to college. They're more likely to have a job. Who's more likely to be living with their parents at the age of 30? It's the boys. So the boys' story is not about social media so much.

They don't develop skills. So what we're finding is that if you'll check in on kids when they're in their late 20s, The girls, they finished their education. They're more likely to have gone to college. They're more likely to have a job. Who's more likely to be living with their parents at the age of 30? It's the boys. So the boys' story is not about social media so much.

It's about missing out on all the things that are going to turn boys into men and instead spending thousands and thousands of hours on video games, porn, and YouTube videos, short videos on TikTok.

It's about missing out on all the things that are going to turn boys into men and instead spending thousands and thousands of hours on video games, porn, and YouTube videos, short videos on TikTok.

It's about missing out on all the things that are going to turn boys into men and instead spending thousands and thousands of hours on video games, porn, and YouTube videos, short videos on TikTok.

Yeah. Oh, thank you, Zach. Yeah, because, you know, the conversations tend to focus on the phones. That's what everyone's interested in, what the hell's happening to our kids with all these screens. But thank you for pointing that out, that the book isn't really about screens. It's actually about childhood, and there's two pieces to it. I can summarize the whole book with this sentence.

Yeah. Oh, thank you, Zach. Yeah, because, you know, the conversations tend to focus on the phones. That's what everyone's interested in, what the hell's happening to our kids with all these screens. But thank you for pointing that out, that the book isn't really about screens. It's actually about childhood, and there's two pieces to it. I can summarize the whole book with this sentence.

Yeah. Oh, thank you, Zach. Yeah, because, you know, the conversations tend to focus on the phones. That's what everyone's interested in, what the hell's happening to our kids with all these screens. But thank you for pointing that out, that the book isn't really about screens. It's actually about childhood, and there's two pieces to it. I can summarize the whole book with this sentence.

We have overprotected our children in the real world, and we have underprotected them online. So when, you know, when us older folk, you know, I'm 61.