Today's youth is undergoing a dramatic change that has future repercussions. for all of us. Jonathan Haidt, a psychologist pinpoints 2012 as a critical time, but the challenge had been building up from the 1970's. We have gone from a play-based childhood to a phone-based childhood. Everyone is affected by rapid technology changes, but Generation Z, born after 1995 is the first generation to go through puberty when the tech companies greatly expanded.
There is a technical aspect, but a critical role was society's attitude toward children had already been changing. Parents became more protective for their children, restricting their unsupervised activities.
Technology has been moving forward for centuries, but in recent decades innovations have accelerated. Gradually people had gotten used to computers as they became more user friendly. Laptops increased accessibility. Smart phone started about 2007 and soon allowed one to take photos of themselves. All in a pocket (even more mobile and can be hidden).
Starting in 2012 there was an increase in depression measured for teenagers, well before Covid. Stats appeared similar in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and the Nordic countries. Anxiety appeared differently for girls who tend to internalize it while boys tended to externalize it. Suicide increased for both sexes, but boys at a higher rate.
Pornography is very common and distorts reality. Some boys have become afraid of asking a girl out on a date that used to be a normal risk of growing up. Over decades service jobs have taken over from factory jobs and as a result females have done better in the new job market. They are also getting better educated than males.
Video games can become very addictive. One boy commented "I wish I had gotten to know my grandfather better before he died, instead of always playing video games when he visited."
Sleep deprivation was aggravated by smart phones linked to anxiety. Humans cannot really multi-task, instead shift attention back and forth resulting in fragmented attention.
Before the age of 2 it is best to minimize screen time as it will over stimulate.
What can be done? Haidt has many thoughts and suggestions that cannot be done full justice is this blog. First he thinks we need to give our children less restrictions and trust them more. I remember on family outings the four of us would pack into our car, but it seemed my young son was always the last one. I was annoyed and had to go back to check if the door was locked. He complained about that lack of trust and finally I trusted him.
It is natural to think of ways to minimize the use of smart phones in many situations such as school. We need to co-operate with teachers and as importantly with other parents. Children complain all their friends have easy access to social media and not wanting them to be ostracized we give them what they want.
Nature offers a chance to recharge. On one successful effort Haidt mentions students being allowed to groom horses. From that brief mention here is a more expanded version of how horses might help. http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/05/the-power-of-horses-to-heal-riding-home.html
In this busy world one helpful tradition would be for the whole family to eat a meal together--without a smart phone.
The whole world is trying to adjust to the takeover by smart phones and we are still learning. Haidt has much more to say and suggest than I have been able to convey. "The Anxious Generation" is well worth reading.
Here are two other posts regarding ideas of Jonathan Haidt that really opened up my mind.
http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2013/02/the-righteous-mind.html
http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/10/are-you-interested-in-happiness.html
