Regulating Smartphones? Jonathan Haidt vs. Libertarians
The author of The Anxious Generation argues that parents, schools, and society must keep kids off of social media.
The author of The Anxious Generation argues that parents, schools, and society must keep kids off of social media.
The author of Bad Therapy argues that we have created a generation of "emotional hypochondriacs."
Teens who use social media heavily also spend the most in-person time with friends.
Since COVID-era school closures, chronic absenteeism has increased from 15 to 26 percent, with poor districts struggling the most.
Only 22 of the 476 studies in The Anxious Generation contain data on either heavy social media use or serious mental issues among adolescents, and none have data on both.
Willis Gibson, 13, became the first Tetris player to trigger a "kill screen."
The audience's tolerance for the truth about bullying has diminished in our oversensitive age.
A new survey highlights how fear-based parenting drives phone-based childhoods.
Jonathan Haidt’s clever, insufficient case against smartphones.
The law would require platforms to use invasive measures to prevent most teenagers under 16 from making social media accounts and bar all minors from sexually explicit sites.
A former chief judge of Delaware's Family Court argues that imposing fines and fees on juvenile offenders undermines their potential to become productive, law-abiding adults.
"Laws like this don't solve the problems they try to address but only make them worse," says a Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression attorney.
A law forcing kids off social media sites is still likely coming to Florida.
Maybe the problem for teens isn't screens, but what they are replacing.
These aren't outright bans. But they still can chill free speech and academic freedom.
Banning people under age 16 from accessing social media without parental consent "is a breathtakingly blunt instrument" for reducing potential harms, the judge writes.
Maybe the problem for teens isn't screens, but what they are replacing.
Throughout Republican-run Western states, lawmakers are passing legislation that treats adults as if they are children.
AI tools churning out images of fake IDs could help people get around online age-check laws.
Laws like Utah's would require anyone using social media to prove their age through methods such as submitting biometric data or a government-issued ID.
The story shows what can happen when those accused of misconduct are subjected to opaque investigations with little due process.
Rockstar Games told a U.K. court that it spent $5 million to recover from the hack. Is that worth the rest of a teenager's life?
An excursion into Facebook groups for empty nesters shows many of them could use a hobby, a job, or even a straitjacket.
Policies inspired by that exaggerated threat continue to undermine the harm-reducing potential of e-cigarettes.
Across the country, ghoulish cities have outlawed teenage trick-or-treaters.
The propensity of prosecutors to jump to conclusions before all the evidence is in is very destructive—and nothing new.
In her new book From Rage to Reason, Emily Horowitz explains what's wrong with the sex offense registry.
Social media overuse among teens may be a symptom, not the cause, of their distress.
We should all be skeptical that the same government that can't balance a budget can revamp the dominant form of modern communications and boost young people's self-esteem.
A study found a "high rate of substitution" between vapes and cigarettes, suggesting that policies aimed at preventing underage use are undermining public health.
More than 1 in 3 Florida foster kids over 13 is taking psychotropic medications, but the state often doesn't follow rules requiring it to keep records of prescriptions.
Plus: How would Jesus vote?, appeals court strikes gun ban for marijuana users, and more...
The Kids Online Safety Act imposes an amorphous "duty of care" that would compromise anonymous speech and restrict access to constitutionally protected content.
Is sending kids into the wilderness really the best way to keep them off Pornhub?
Plus: court strikes down Arizona law against filming cops, GOP candidates want to cut Social Security for young people, and more...
According to a new study there is no correlation between increased youth drinking during COVID and alcohol delivery.
While intended to keep Native families together, the ICWA subjects American Indian children to a lower level of protection than is enjoyed by non-Native kids.
New mandates in states like Utah and Virginia will lock in large incumbents like PornHub while discouraging positive trends and self-regulation in the industry.
The few good studies on teen depression and social media undercut attempts to establish causal connections between the two.
Media literacy education invites a slew of nonprofit organizations and consultancies into the public school system, many of whom may have their own political agendas.
The lawsuit blames the companies for stoking "anxiety, depression, thoughts of self-harm, and suicidal ideation."
"I think it's really good for a lot of young people, no matter if they need a job or not, to work," says one college student who got her first job at 16.
Plus: Australia's failed news media bargaining code, two ways government created an Adderall shortage, and more...
Jonathan Haidt's integrity and transparency are admirable, but the studies he's relying on aren't strong enough to support his conclusions.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like the recent trend of rising administrative bloat is going to reverse anytime soon.