Summer often means more phone time for kids—texting friends, playing video games and scrolling through Instagram and TikTok. While technology can help young people stay connected, it can also pull them away from face-to-face relationships, outdoor play and real-world experiences.
In The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues that the decline in unsupervised, play-based childhoods, combined with the rise of “phone-based childhoods,” has contributed to the surge in teen mental health challenges over the past 15 years.
Haidt highlights several ways excessive phone and social media use can affect young people:
Social Deprivation
Online interaction can replace the face-to-face connection children need to build empathy, confidence and emotional regulation.
Sleep Deprivation
Phones in bedrooms and late-night scrolling can interfere with the sleep young brains need to learn, grow and manage emotions.
Attention Fragmentation
Constant notifications and short-form content can make it harder for young people to focus and stay engaged.
Addiction
Apps and algorithms are designed to keep users hooked, which can create anxiety when devices are taken away.
Haidt offers four key recommendations for parents, schools and communities:
- No smartphones until high school or at least age 14.
- No social media until age 16.
- Phone-free schools to restore focus and face-to-face connection.
- More play to build creativity, independence and resilience.
KidsMatter recommends The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. The companion book for children ages 9–12, The Amazing Generation, helps kids understand the digital world, recognize manipulative app design and take back their freedom through an exciting action-adventure story.
For additional resources, visit KidsMatter at www.kidsmatter2us.org.
