Prince Harry has long been known as an outspoken advocate for mental health issues (especially for men), but now he’s focusing on the very thorny issue of social media and its effect on young people.
“In many cases, smartphones… are robbing young people of their childhood,” he said in our conversation. The video was shared exclusively. luck This week, social psychologist and anxious generation.
Haidt couldn’t agree more with the four basic rules of smartphones, which have inspired both praise and opposition, and explained the premise of his book to Harry. This means that in English-speaking countries, people born after 1995 (roughly Generation Z) are experiencing a high period of adolescence. Rates of anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicide all rose sharply between 2010 and 2012. And it is believed that this is not a coincidence, but a direct result of smartphones.
“Young people are replacing their flip phones with smartphones,” Hite said of the moment of generational change. [have] Front-facing cameras, high-speed internet, and millions of apps competing with each other for your children’s attention. So Anxious Generations is helping us understand the incredibly destructive power of this change in childhood…and how to prevent it from happening and already It helps us understand what we can do now to help those who have experienced it. ”
Mr Haidt and the Duke of Sussex will have an intimate discussion about social media and mental health as part of Harry’s Archewell Foundation’s 2024 Insight Sessions (a public conversation, highlights of which will be published in a new Insights report). (see full video above). We communicate the impact of technology, focusing on the voices of young people.
Here are some of the most powerful takeaways from our lively conversation.
Parents vs. Social Media Companies
One of Hite’s biggest concerns about the current state of parenting and social media, he said, is that “we’re overprotecting our kids in the real world and underprotecting them online.” “And both of those moves are wrong. They have a negative impact on development.” That’s why he says no smartphones until high school, no social media until age 16, no phones in school, and no unsupervised play. This encourages children to be more independent.
“It’s also why it’s so easy for social media companies to blame parents and say, ‘Well, you know, this is your fault,'” Harry said. This depends on your parenting. ”
But that’s an argument Haidt rejects.
“If there are some parents who get this wrong and most parents get it right, I would very much accept that argument,” he said. “But when kids get phones and social media, the rest of family life turns into a fight over screen time. And this is happening everywhere. This is happening in Silicon Valley, but… Parents know what’s going on there.”
So why give a 10-year-old a smartphone? “The main reason is because other people were doing it. We don’t want our daughter to be left out. I’m having this issue with my 14-year-old daughter right now on Snapchat,” Hite said. That’s why the tech companies are trying to put us in a corner and then blame us for what they’ve done.”That’s why he called for collective action: parents coming together to protect their children. They support agreeing to delay purchasing smartphones.
What about smartphones when it comes to safety?
Mr Harry said that through insight sessions he had spoken to parents who were giving their children mobile phones from an early age to keep them safe.
“It’s a double-edged sword,” he said. “We would like to have mobile phones at school in case of emergencies, but like other children, once they have a mobile phone they are told that they are not allowed to download apps. Even kids have a workaround.” “
But Hite doesn’t buy the safety argument. “If you want your kids to have a phone so they can call you when something goes wrong, that’s fine. Give them a phone. Just super connected to everyone in the world. Don’t give them computers…they don’t need them. Millennials had flip phones. They spent their adolescence making phone calls and texting each other. We met. It went well.”
Gen Z, on the other hand, “spent their adolescence with supercomputers cutting off almost everything else in their lives,” he said. “Everything becomes less. Less time with friends, less sunlight, fewer books, fewer hobbies. You strip away almost everything from your childhood. Add this and millions of short videos. It’s not about childhood.
The “myth” of social media as a lifeline
Prince Harry then raised the idea that social media has a positive, even life-saving, side.
“To some extent, social media provides an outlet and additional resources for children who may not feel comfortable coming to us and talking about their problems, worries, and concerns. I understand,” he says. “Kids online will feel more connected to complete strangers on social media. So if you’re a parent, how can you help your child do well on social media?” Is it possible to know?”
Hite said that “social media is a lifeline for LGBTQ kids, kids from marginalized communities” is “one of Mehta’s favorite topics.” And that’s not true. ”
The truth is, “The Internet has been great for them. It solved all these problems in the ’90s. If you’re a gay kid, you’re not going to date anyone in rural America or England. But the internet was great. You could find information, you could find like-minded people, you could communicate.”But social media changed everything, Hite argued.
“I’m no longer the only one connected to you,” he said. “Now we have news feeds that send content based on algorithms, and that’s not what they need. If you have a special interest, just search on Google. It’s not about giving them something. does not require an algorithm.
So it’s a “myth” that Instagram and TikTok are a lifeline, he said. “I think this study is very clear: If kids have a best friend, or especially if they have a small group.” [of friends]they generally work fine. If children don’t have close friends or a close group, they’re much less likely to succeed. When you have 300 connections, you don’t have time for anyone. ”
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