logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2024
29m 30s

The Smartphone Kids Are Not All Right

THE ATLANTIC
About this episode
Hanna talks to her child Jacob about the thing they've argued the most about: being on their phone. Then, Hanna sits down with social psychologist Jonathan Haidt. In his new book, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, Haidt argues there is a direct tie between the wide distribution of smartphone ... Show More
Up next
Sep 10
Sarah Longwell's Playbook for Defeating MAGA
Despite his message at the first-ever Republican midterm convention this week, President Trump’s brand is weak. His approval rating is hanging at about 35 percent, and even die-hard MAGA Republicans are frustrated by his war with Iran, gas prices, and tariffs. There’s an opportun ... Show More
32m 19s
Sep 7
How the Government Wastes Our Time
Long DMV lines, endless tax forms, and paperwork-heavy safety-net programs aren’t just annoyances—they’re “time taxes,” the administrative burdens that waste people’s time and can keep eligible families from getting help. On this episode of “Radio Atlantic,” Atlantic staff writer ... Show More
30m 13s
Sep 3
Creating the Perfect Female Monster
The breakout crime drama “Furious,” which had its series finale this week, centers around a female serial killer who is exacting revenge on the men who abused her. We talk with the Atlantic staff writer Sophie Gilbert about what the show reveals about society in the post-MeToo er ... Show More
25m 41s
Recommended Episodes
May 2025
Downstream: Big Tech Is Making Our Children Depressed and Anxious. Here’s How w/ Jonathan Haidt
As smart phone use has soared, Generation Z’s mental health has plummeted. But just how bad is this crisis, and who should we hold responsible? In The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt sets out his comprehensive diagnosis of the problems caused by the mass in ... Show More
1h 15m
Jun 2024
This is your kid on smartphones
Old people have always worried about young people. But psychologist Jonathan Haidt believes something genuinely different and troubling is happening right now. He argues that smartphones and social media have had disastrous effects on the mental health of young people, and derail ... Show More
53m 58s
Sep 2024
TED Talks Daily Book Club | Are smartphones ruining childhood? | Jonathan Haidt
Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt's latest book, "The Anxious Generation," is shaping cultural conversations and sparking fierce debates about the role of smartphones in society. In this timely conversation, he investigates how a smartphone-based childhood, amplified by overprot ... Show More
38m 51s
Oct 2024
ANXIOUS GENERATION (Part 1): What Social Media Is Doing to Our Kids
It’s rare these days for a book to go viral, but that’s exactly what happened with “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness” by Jonathan Haidt. Now in its seventh month on the New York Times bestseller list, the book sh ... Show More
54m 9s
Sep 2025
Extra: 'Anxious Generation' Author Jonathan Haidt On Cell Phones, Playing Outside And Raising Happy Kids
Kids today are reporting higher levels of stress and anxiety than ever before, with many experts attributing this to constant screen time and social media exposure. In response, lawmakers and schools nationwide are experimenting with policies such as banning cell phones in the cl ... Show More
20m 26s
May 2025
The Anxious Generation with Jonathan Haidt
<p>Jonathan Haidt, noted social psychologist and author of The Anxious Generation, sits down with Trevor and Christiana to discuss how smartphones and social media are harming Gen Z – and really all of us. He encourages claiming back third spaces, championing anti-fragility, and ... Show More
1h 22m
Jun 2025
How Smartphones Changed Childhood (And What to do About it)
The happiness of young people has taken a big hit since the advent of the smartphone - and social psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues that there is a direct link. He warns that allowing children easy access to the internet and social media adversely impacts their sleep, their self ... Show More
39m 52s
May 2024
The Anxious Generation: Jonathan Haidt on How Smartphones Rewired Childhood, Part One
Bestselling author and social psychologist Jonathan Haidt has dedicated his career to speaking truth and wisdom in some of the most challenging spaces – communities polarised by politics and religion and university campuses mired in culture wars. Now he turns his attention to wha ... Show More
46m 5s
Mar 2024
Jonathan Haidt: "The Anxious Generation"
After more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents plunged in the early 2010s. Rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide rose sharply, more than doubling on many measures. Why? Phone-based childhoods. Michael talks to social psycholo ... Show More
23m 24s