Jonathan Haidt - August 20, 2025
JONATHAN HAIDT, SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGIST AT NEW YORK UNIVERSITY’S STERN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS // AUTHOR, THE ANXIOUS GENERATION
nexio/sliver:
TOPIC 1: IMPACT OF SCHOOL CELL PHONE BANS ON YOUNG PEOPLE’S MENTAL HEALTH
- At least 31 states and the District of Columbia require school districts to ban or restrict students’ use of cellphones in schools, according to an Education Week tally. https://www.edweek.org/technology/most-students-now-face-cellphone-limits-at-school-what-happens-next/2025/07
- When Alabama enacted a new law keeping phones out of classrooms for the 2025-2026 school year, one teacher saw an instant change, noting in a TikTok that his students, “took notes in my class, did their assignment, asked for help when they got stuck and turned it in, and then when they were done, they talked to each other” https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2025/08/19/alabama-schools-phone-free-reactions-mental-health/85660101007/
- A new study suggests that children, especially girls, who own smartphones before they are 13 years old may have worse mental health outcomes when they're older http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Family/kids-smartphones-age-13-worse-mental-health-outcomes/story?id=123961082
- A recent Pew poll found 74% of U.S. adults say they would support banning middle and high school students from using cellphones during class, up from 68% last fall. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/07/16/americans-support-for-school-cellphone-bans-has-ticked-up-since-last-year/
- Haidt co-authored this NYT Op-Ed back in June: We Don’t Have to Give In to the Smartphones https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/18/opinion/parents-smartphones-tiktok-facebook.html
- Haidt, a professor at NYU’s Stern School of Business, has spent years researching the mental health crisis among young people. His conclusion? The dramatic rise in anxiety, depression, and social withdrawal is closely tied to the early and excessive use of smartphones and social media. Dr. Haidt is on a mission to help kids "break up" with their phones and reclaim mental health, which is why he's a Parents Next Gen winner. https://www.parents.com/next-gen-winner-jonathan-haidt-11774151
- Haidt in the Atlantic: What Kids Told Us About How to Get Them Off Their Phones: “Today’s kids want to spend their childhood in the real world. Let’s give it back to them.” https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/08/kids-smartphones-play-freedom/683742/
Intro Elements: JMON2 Map of states that have banned smart/cell phones
Call for: SOT Parents of students talking about impact of cell-phone bans
Call for: FS Pew Poll on impact of banning cell phones during day
Title: Impact of Cell Phone Bans During the School Day
Negative Positive
Social Skills 13% 67%
Grades 12% 66%
Behavior in Class 15% 64%
Physical Safety 23% 37%
Pew Research Center Poll
5,023 respondents; June 9 to 15
MOE: +/-1.6% Pts
discussion element? stats on how many kids have phones
Call for poll/Jmon - How would you rather spend time with Friends
Post a comment