Zach Rausch – Why smartphones and social media are bad for kids

The Nick Halaris Show

This week on The Nick Halaris Show we are featuring Zach Rausch, an Associate Research Scientist at NYU-Stern School of Business and the lead researcher for social psychologist Jonathan Haidt’s new book “The Anxious Generation.” Zach’s research for the book, both convincing and frightening, marks a major contribution to an ongoing conversation about the health of our kids and, ultimately, our nation.

I wanted to have Zach on the show to highlight the important ideas outlined in “The Anxious Generation” and dive deeper into the story. I’ve become increasingly concerned that technologies like smartphones and social media, things we just accept and take for granted these days, might not actually be all that good for us. Tune in to this important lesson to learn:

• What the data is telling us there’s been a shocking decline in mental health for kids and young people around the world
• Just why things like push notifications and the like-button work so well and why that’s a problem, especially for kids
• What the hook formula is and how social media companies used it to design incredibly addictive products
• Why not all screen time is created equal and parents should be very careful with smartphones and social media
• Why it’s imperative that technology companies be accountable for the damage caused by their products
• How parents, schools, and government can work together to make things better for kids by pursuing 4 simple strategies: no smartphones until high school, no social media until 16, phone-free schools, and fostering more unsupervised play and childhood independence
• & Much, much more

Zach and I also discuss why there might be an even bigger problem here, one that impacts our communities and our democracy itself. Stay tuned to the end to hear why, despite all the bad data, Zach remains optimistic we can right the ship.

As always, I hope you all enjoy this episode. Thanks for tuning in!

Ps.

For more information about “The Anxious Generation” click here

For more information about Let Grow and the play-based childhood movement click here

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