Jonathan Haidt

So here's what we're seeing already.

When my book came out, when The Excess Generation came out in March of 2024, especially college-educated women, mothers in professional circles, they all read it or their book clubs talked about it.

Those mothers jumped into action.

It was the most incredible thing.

They started...

forming mutual pledges to not give their kids phones.

They started forming playberhoods, which is an agreement.

Okay, we six families, our kids can wander around between the homes.

You don't have to supervise them.

So sort of more educated elite families are really on this and they're doing the whole thing.

This is just unfortunately the way society works as with junk food.

You know, junk food permeated everything in the 20th century.

And it was sort of more, you know, educated,

upper-class people who sort of get a handle on it and put restrictions on.

So I think this is already exacerbating inequality in our country.

And as more educated people begin to get a handle on it, their kids are gonna do a little better in school.

And I think, unfortunately, in less educated areas, it's gonna take a lot longer to get through.

And that's why it's so important that we get phone-free schools, because kids are spending six or seven hours a day in school

The rich kids already have restrictions on their device use.

The poor kids generally don't.