I don't agree with this, for a couple of reasons. First, I regard Haidt as a charlatan (see below). More importantly, for someone whose life experience is confined to this century, being depressed just means you are paying attention. Lots of older people are in denial about global heating, the end of democracy etc. I'm 68, optimistic by temperament and as depressed as all hell, even though I don't pay much attention to my smartphone.
Thank you John. I think there are three questions here: Has the shape of self-reported well-being as a function of age shifted? If so, did the combination of the smart phone and high rates of social media use have anything to do with it? And, again if so, is there anything we can do about it? I don’t know much about how Australia moved on this, and indeed it does seem rushed.
On the first question, the evidence from people like Blanchflower seems unambiguous - even people I’ve seen who remain a bit skeptical regarding what might be the causes don’t seem to dispute that we have lost that U-shaped curve.
On the second question, I agree we have to not jump to correlation-equals-causation reasoning. But … there seems to be too big a shift in the 2010-2013 era to ignore. Put another way, yes it is a correlation, but that strong a correlation means it’s worth a look. It is not settled, true. But it is an awful lot of smoke.
On the third question, here is where I agree with Haidt (and I have not read anything else he has done). First, there really has been a shift in terms of social norms, and in many cases serious legal sanctions, at least in the US, on what kids are allowed to do with no direct adult supervision (and I say this as someone with children in their early twenties). I opposed this from the start, before the iPhone was a gleam in Steve Jobs’ eyes, and continue to advocate for giving kids some freedom. As far as smart phones, as someone who works as a high school tutor now they really do make teaching more difficult - it is a presence in their heads that it takes a lot of work to quiet, if only while we work together through a problem set. And this is a change I have seen get worse in the past eight years or so.
So, again, I don’t know if Australia is jumping the gun, but I’m glad you shared this.
Banning smart phones in schools makes obvious sense, but as you pointed out already, that's not entirely new. Any kind of distraction in class, like comic books, was always banned. Extending the ban to lunch breaks is a change, but not a huge one.
I looked at data on youth sport in Australia. No obvious change in participation over 20 years. Participation declines in late teens, as has always been the case.
Unlke US, there's no separate group of "athletes". Taking part in some kind of sport is the norm through high school and for around 50 per cent of adults.
Your point was reinforced for me while visiting SLAM yesterday. The museum (free admission) was busy, and I was pleasantly surprised to see folks of all ages, including the youths, just … looking … at the art. Few selfies. And as I reflect on it, more smiles and pleasant interactions.
I don't agree with this, for a couple of reasons. First, I regard Haidt as a charlatan (see below). More importantly, for someone whose life experience is confined to this century, being depressed just means you are paying attention. Lots of older people are in denial about global heating, the end of democracy etc. I'm 68, optimistic by temperament and as depressed as all hell, even though I don't pay much attention to my smartphone.
https://johnquiggin.com/2025/01/14/australias-social-media-ban-for-under-16s-the-evidence-crosspost-from-my-substack/
Thank you John. I think there are three questions here: Has the shape of self-reported well-being as a function of age shifted? If so, did the combination of the smart phone and high rates of social media use have anything to do with it? And, again if so, is there anything we can do about it? I don’t know much about how Australia moved on this, and indeed it does seem rushed.
On the first question, the evidence from people like Blanchflower seems unambiguous - even people I’ve seen who remain a bit skeptical regarding what might be the causes don’t seem to dispute that we have lost that U-shaped curve.
On the second question, I agree we have to not jump to correlation-equals-causation reasoning. But … there seems to be too big a shift in the 2010-2013 era to ignore. Put another way, yes it is a correlation, but that strong a correlation means it’s worth a look. It is not settled, true. But it is an awful lot of smoke.
On the third question, here is where I agree with Haidt (and I have not read anything else he has done). First, there really has been a shift in terms of social norms, and in many cases serious legal sanctions, at least in the US, on what kids are allowed to do with no direct adult supervision (and I say this as someone with children in their early twenties). I opposed this from the start, before the iPhone was a gleam in Steve Jobs’ eyes, and continue to advocate for giving kids some freedom. As far as smart phones, as someone who works as a high school tutor now they really do make teaching more difficult - it is a presence in their heads that it takes a lot of work to quiet, if only while we work together through a problem set. And this is a change I have seen get worse in the past eight years or so.
So, again, I don’t know if Australia is jumping the gun, but I’m glad you shared this.
Banning smart phones in schools makes obvious sense, but as you pointed out already, that's not entirely new. Any kind of distraction in class, like comic books, was always banned. Extending the ban to lunch breaks is a change, but not a huge one.
I looked at data on youth sport in Australia. No obvious change in participation over 20 years. Participation declines in late teens, as has always been the case.
Unlke US, there's no separate group of "athletes". Taking part in some kind of sport is the norm through high school and for around 50 per cent of adults.
Your point was reinforced for me while visiting SLAM yesterday. The museum (free admission) was busy, and I was pleasantly surprised to see folks of all ages, including the youths, just … looking … at the art. Few selfies. And as I reflect on it, more smiles and pleasant interactions.