episode-header-image

Jun 19

1h 35m

556. How Social Media Is Wrecking Kids' ...

Dr. Jordan B. Peterson

About this episode

In this urgent conversation, Jonathan Haidt and Jordan Peterson dissect the silent catastrophe facing Gen Z—spiraling anxiety, attention collapse, and social isolation—all amplified by addictive tech. They explore the psychological and spiritual fallout of algorithm-optimized platforms, the gendered impact on boys and girls, and what it means to raise children in a virtualized world. Data-driven but deeply human, this is essential viewing for anyone wondering what the hell happened after 2012—and how to fix it.

This episode was filmed on June 9th, 2025

| Links |

For Jonathan Haidt:

On X https://x.com/jonhaidt?lang=en

On Substack https://substack.com/@jonathanhaidt

On YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@JonathanHaidt1/videos

Website https://jonathanhaidt.com/

Read “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness” https://a.co/d/04yfM36

Up next

560. When Does Masculinity Become Toxic? | David French

Sparked by French’s recent New York Times article, “The Democrats’ $20 Million Man Problem,” he and Jordan Peterson discuss the societal failures contributing to male alienation—fatherlessness, loss of purpose, overmedication, and a culture that increasingly pathologizes masculin ... Show More

559. How to Stop Europe’s Collapse: What We Can Learn from Germany's Mistakes | Christine Anderson

Member of European Parliament Christine Anderson joins Jordan Peterson to explain the cultural, political, and economic unraveling of Germany and the EU. Mass immigration, rising crime, deindustrialization and elite-driven climate policies—Anderson argues that Europe is collapsin ... Show More

558. The Snow White Disney Doesn’t Want You To Know

Dr. Jordan Peterson offers a psychological and cultural analysis of the Grimm Brothers' Snow White, using it as a lens to explore evolutionary biology, female status hierarchies, fertility suppression, and the pathology of the “evil queen” archetype. Drawing on research in primat ... Show More

Recommended Episodes

Oprah and Jonathan Haidt on How Social Media Is Changing Childhood

BUY THE BOOK! “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness” by Jonathan Haidt, published by Penguin Press, is available wherever books are sold. We are only just beginning to understand the impact social media and smart dev ... Show More

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

Jonathan Haidt Returns (on the anxiety generation)

Jonathan Haidt (The Anxious Generation) is a social psychologist, professor, and best-selling author. Jonathan joins the Armchair Expert to discuss why his moral dumbfoundings are such tasty party tricks, if disgust contains wisdom about borders that one shouldn’t cross, and how ... Show More

The Anxious Generation

Is social media to blame for the teen mental health crisis? It's complicated!Thanks to Emily Weinstein, Amy Orben, Andrew Przybylski, Dean Burnett, Michael Mullarkey and Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz for help researching and fact-checking this episode! Where to find us: Peter' ... Show More

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

Jonathan Haidt: Here's How We Can Free The Anxious Generation (E323)

Jonathan Haidt is a renowned social psychologist, bestselling author, and professor, widely known for his groundbreaking work on morality, culture, and human flourishing. His insights into how society shapes us and how we, in turn, shape society, make him a leading voice in discu ... Show More

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

602. Is Screen Time as Poisonous as We Think?

Young people have been reporting a sharp rise in anxiety and depression. This maps neatly onto the global rise of the smartphone. Some researchers are convinced that one is causing the other. But how strong is the evidence? SOURCES:David Blanchflower, professor of economics at Da ... Show More

Will Kids Online, In Fact, Be All Right?

In her new FX docuseries “Social Studies,” the artist and filmmaker Lauren Greenfield delves into the post-pandemic lives—and phones—of a group of L.A. teens. Screen recordings of the kids’ social-media use reveal how these platforms have reshaped their experience of the world in ... Show More

Why Gen Z Can’t Handle the Real World (and How We Can Help Them) | Jennifer Cohen : 1266

You think you’re helping your kid. You clear the path. You smooth the bumps. You make sure they never feel too sad, too bored, too uncomfortable. It feels like love. But what if it’s making them weak? In this episode, Dave Asprey sits down with bestselling author, TED speaker, an ... Show More

Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami