Teenager 1
Appearances
The Oprah Podcast
Oprah and Jonathan Haidt on How Kids Can Choose Fun and Freedom in a Screen Filled World
Yeah, I'm so happy to be here. I got a sword phone when I was 10 years old, and I watched the next five years fly by. You know, everything that everyone's already said really resonated with me. Social media has rewired childhood. I... You know, I have a few recollections of this period because I was, you know, so involved in this oversaturated media.
The Oprah Podcast
Oprah and Jonathan Haidt on How Kids Can Choose Fun and Freedom in a Screen Filled World
You know, the mean girl setting was very prevalent at a much younger age. And it got to a point during COVID where I finally had the time I so desired after school. just throughout this period, to just be with my technology. And I did that for eight months. I sat in my bed and tried not to let my phone fall on my face.
The Oprah Podcast
Oprah and Jonathan Haidt on How Kids Can Choose Fun and Freedom in a Screen Filled World
And I came to a point where I started to see content of people online actually doing things with their COVID time. I mean, for the financially comfortable, COVID was a time where you could pick up a book that you'd thrown down. You could make bread. You could go on runs. And I was in my bed watching TikTok for eight to 10 hours every day.
The Oprah Podcast
Oprah and Jonathan Haidt on How Kids Can Choose Fun and Freedom in a Screen Filled World
So I reached a breaking point and I powered off my smartphone and I put it in a box in my parents' room. And my motivation there was that in the middle of the night when I really craved the smartphone, I wouldn't want to wake them. So I wouldn't go get it. And I mean, almost immediately something flipped in my brain. Things really started to change for me.
The Oprah Podcast
Oprah and Jonathan Haidt on How Kids Can Choose Fun and Freedom in a Screen Filled World
And I never went and got the smartphone back. And so that was that was four and a half years ago. And in the past four years, something did actually flip in your brain.
The Oprah Podcast
Oprah and Jonathan Haidt on How Kids Can Choose Fun and Freedom in a Screen Filled World
I came out of that period, I mean, healthier, happier, more confident, more social and more intellectual. I mean, I started to read for the first time in years. I finally got back that childhood, you know, rigor to read that I had lost for so long.
The Oprah Podcast
Oprah and Jonathan Haidt on How Kids Can Choose Fun and Freedom in a Screen Filled World
So when I initially went phone-less, I was kind of on my own doing it. And it was very difficult. It was like a transitional period. I kind of had to rework my friendships, get people to email me. And that was hard. But one day I met a girl who also, she had a flip phone. And, you know, we quickly realized that having someone else to do it with was so powerful. Yeah.
The Oprah Podcast
Oprah and Jonathan Haidt on How Kids Can Choose Fun and Freedom in a Screen Filled World
Even just hearing from some of the parents today, I think when you try and go at it alone, it's totally possible you can do it, but it's harder. Community is so important during this time.
The Oprah Podcast
Oprah and Jonathan Haidt on How Kids Can Choose Fun and Freedom in a Screen Filled World
So we quickly realized that if we could get a group together of like-minded teenagers, students who were trying to do the same thing, not only would our success rate be higher, but it would just be an easier transition for us. So in 2021, we started the Luddite Club, a group for other students who wanted to use their phone less, wanted to get a flip phone.
The Oprah Podcast
Oprah and Jonathan Haidt on How Kids Can Choose Fun and Freedom in a Screen Filled World
Whatever it was, we accepted everyone from whatever stage they were at in their transition. And the club has been going on since then. This summer in 2024, we turned the club into a nonprofit so that we could reach more people nationwide and help more young people help others. You know, I think we're really big on autonomy. We're not big on preaching.
The Oprah Podcast
Oprah and Jonathan Haidt on How Kids Can Choose Fun and Freedom in a Screen Filled World
And, you know, the most amazing thing is we've built this nonprofit, this, you know, sort of youth organization that has students around the country participating, done it all off of social media. And it's possible and it's flourishing. Yeah.
The Oprah Podcast
Oprah and Jonathan Haidt on How Kids Can Choose Fun and Freedom in a Screen Filled World
And I was in my bed watching TikTok for eight to 10 hours every day. So I reached a breaking point and I powered off my smartphone and I put it in a box in my parents' room.