Are the Kids Alright? — with Jonathan Haidt

We are in the midst of a teen mental health crisis. Since 2011,
the rate of U.S. hospitalizations for preteen girls who have
self-harmed is up 189 percent, and with older teen girls, it’s up
62 percent. Tragically, the numbers on suicides are similar — 151
percent higher for preteen girls, and 70 percent higher for older
teen girls. NYU social psychologist Jonathan Haidt has spent the
last few years trying to figure out why, working with fellow
psychologist Jean Twenge, and he believes social media is to
blame. Jonathan and Jean found that the mental health data show a
stark contrast between Generation Z and Millennials, unlike any
demographic divide researchers have seen since World War II, and
the division tracks with a sharp rise in social media use. As
Jonathan explains in this interview, disentangling correlation
and causation is a persistent research challenge, and the debate
on this topic is still in full swing. But as TikTok, Instagram,
Snapchat and the next big thing fine-tune the manipulative and
addictive features that pull teens in, we cannot afford to ignore
this problem while we sit back and wait for conclusive results.
When it comes to children, our standards need to be higher, and
our burden of proof lower.