THE ANXIOUS GENERATION

In a new book by Jonathan Haidt, ‘The Anxious Generation,’
he promotes four ideas in what he calls, ‘cultural norms.’

1. No smartphones before high school. Parents should delay children’s entry into round-the-clock internet access by giving only basic phones (phones with limited apps and no internet browser) before ninth grade (roughly age 14).

2. No social media before16. Let kids get through the most vulnerable period of brain development before connecting them to a firehose of social comparison and algorithmically chosen influencers.

3. Phone-free schools. In all schools from elementary through high school, students should store their phones, smartwatches, and any other personal devices that can send or receive texts in phone lockers or locked pouches during the school day. That is the only way to free up their attention for each other and for their teachers.

4. Far more unsupervised play and childhood independence. That’s the way children naturally develop social skills, overcome anxiety, and become self-governing young adults.”

I say ‘monkey see… monkey do.’ Children do what is modeled for them. Parents will need to be trained and disciplined on cell phones before trying to formulate such practices for children. These four ideas will work when monkeys grow wings and lizards have hair and there are no tornados in Oklahoma. Otherwise, I would expect things to be very much as they are currently.

“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” Jesus