Jonathan Haidt's 'The Anxious Generation' explores how societal changes, including the digital world, overprotective parenting, and the education system's priorities, contribute to the increasing mental health crisis among today's youth.
"The piece explores how the rise of smartphones and social media has coincided with a sharp increase in anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues among teenagers."
Chris and Peaches explore various topics, including a company's thoughtful gesture, the impact of social media on children, the concept of mental health and its potential misunderstandings, and provide insights and advice on relationships, anger management, and personal growth through analyzing listener emails.
"I think we also have a synthetic depression now caused by social media."
The hosts examine the complexities of phone usage, particularly for children and teens, by exploring the science of addiction, evaluating potential risks and benefits based on expert insights, and encouraging families to find a healthy balance between screen time and engaging real-world experiences.
"Right? But it doesnt mean that every teen who uses social media will have problems. It can depend on the person, the app, so many things."
The episode analyzes a judge's decision to overturn a massive verdict against the NFL and debates the merits of the Kids Online Safety Act, exploring legal and free speech implications.
"Quote, there is undeniable evidence that social media and other online platforms contribute to our youth mental health crisis."
Scott Galloway, a marketing professor and author, discusses strategies for financial security, the keys to happiness through deep relationships, and the importance of speaking one's mind authentically, even on controversial topics like big tech's power and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"Studies show that use of social media, especially among teen girls, dramatically increases rates of self harm and depression and anxiety."
The podcast covers various global news stories, including North Korea's preparations for Putin's visit, Thailand's legalization of same-sex marriage, protests in Kenya, damage caused by a parkour runner in Italy, and the death of actress Anouk Aimée.
"We also know that the more hours a day teens spends on social media, the more likely it is that they are going to be depressed. And there's now also an increasing number of experiments that can show causation. For example, when people give up or cut back on social media, they're happier. They're less likely to be depressed than those who keep up their normal levels of social media use. There are many, many mechanisms. It's one of the reasons why the rise of social media is such a strong candidate for being the cause of the adolescent mental health crisis. There's the displacement of time when they're spending five, six, 7 hours a day on social media. They're spending less time with their friends and family face to face. They're spending less time sleeping, not a good formula for mental health. Then there's all of the content that they see online, that teen girls and young women, for example, are seeing these perfect bodies on Instagram, and that can lead to body image issues, and then that can lead to depression. Then there's also a lot of bullying and negativity which also isn't good for mental health. That's just the tip of the iceberg for some of the possible mechanisms."
The Surgeon General advocated for warning labels on social media apps citing youth mental health risks, the Biden administration announced new policies to grant legal status to certain immigrants, and the Israeli PM disbanded his war cabinet amid protests.
"He pointed out data to us, Brad, that shows that teens who spend more than 3 hours a day on social media double their risk of anxiety and depression symptoms. And he says that the average time spent on social media for that age group is nearly 5 hours a day."
This episode discusses the Surgeon General's proposed social media warning labels, Biden's immigration policy, Putin's visit to North Korea, an American journalist's arrest in Russia, NATO defense spending, and provides a round-up of other news updates.
"A Pew Research survey found 95% of teens ages 13 to 17 use social media, with 35% saying they use it almost constantly."
This episode covers McDonald's ending an AI drive-thru test, potential restrictions on Chinese drone maker DJI, a debate around the Surgeon General's proposed social media warning labels, and various tech news from battery innovations to new products.
"I have talked about some of these other studies out there. Like a study of 2891 finnish adolescents published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health that found that depressive symptoms predicted increased social media use, but not that social media use predicted depressive symptoms. So in other words, if you're depressed, it could cause you to use social media. If you use social media, it wouldn't cause you to become depressed."
This episode of State of the Union examines the dynamics of the 2024 presidential election through interviews with key political figures and a panel discussion analyzing campaign strategies and voter outreach efforts.
"And one of the big contributors to mental health challenges right now is social media, particularly among young people. Young adults."
In this episode, Kara Swisher interviews Jonathan Haidt about his book 'The Anxious Generation,' which argues that smartphones and social media have led to a mental health crisis among teens, and they discuss the criticism of Haidt's claims, his proposed solutions, and the moral responsibility of social media companies.
"I found it convincing that social media has radically changed the social life of teenagers since 2010, and also that at the same time there has been alarming erosion in teenage mental health."
In this episode, Taylor Lorenz discusses the perceived negative effects of social media and smartphones on children's mental health, interviewing researcher Danah Boyd on more nuanced solutions, while also covering topics like Link Lauren's work for RFK Jr., Elon Musk's secret Twitter account, potential bans on X, Dude Perfect's expansion, and a viral Chinese glycine factory on TikTok.
"How can we be so sure that it's not social media causing this mental health crisis among this younger generation?"
The episode covers Donald Trump's legal and financial wins, the importance of social cohesion, declining church attendance, and Florida's new law banning social media for young children.
"Social media use can lead to increased anxiety, depression, suicidality, even in kids."
The episode examines a new Florida law restricting kids' social media access and the energy implications of the AI boom, with industry leaders weighing solutions to meet surging electricity needs.
"The rationale behind it is mainly concerns that these platforms are dangerous for young folks. There has been a number of studies linking social media use among young adults to a higher risk of depression, mental health challenges."
Sociologist John Skrentny discusses his book 'Wasted Education', which explores how STEM graduates are often mistreated and undervalued by employers, particularly in the tech industry, and offers potential solutions to create a more sustainable and ethical approach to valuing STEM talent.
"Yeah, there's evidence that suggests hard to prove these things definitively. Causal inferences are very difficult in social science, but there's evidence that suggests social media use is part of the reason we're seeing very alarming rises in teen depression."
The group analyzes Apple's new AR/VR device, the rivalry between Meta and Snap, green shoots in SaaS, AI model competition, and the ticking timebomb of distressed commercial real estate debt tied to depressed office valuations.
"Yeah, I mean, the amount of time you spend on social media is correlated with depression."
The episode discusses the societal pressures and scrutiny surrounding Black women's bodies, particularly in relation to the rising popularity of the Brazilian Butt Lift cosmetic procedure and the idealized curvy physique it aims to achieve.
"There's been, you know, so many studies about how social media affects teens and especially teen girls mental health."