The archive / Technology and the internet
2012– · Worldwide
The smartphone has created an anxious generation!
Social media and young people’s mental health
Panic meter
The verdict
Young people are struggling, and many blame social media. Researchers deeply disagree about how much of the explanation it is.
Reality meter
What was said?
From around 2012, reported anxiety and depression among young people rose in many countries, just as smartphones and social media became part of everyday life. The psychologist Jonathan Haidt's book The Anxious Generation (2024) argues that this is the cause, and proposes phone-free schools and no social media until the age of 16.
The verdict: what happened next?
The verdict is not yet in. Some researchers see strong links; others argue that the links are small and that other factors – pressure at school, money worries, sleep, changes in how mental ill-health is measured – matter more. In 2024 Folkhälsomyndigheten (the Public Health Agency of Sweden) issued guidance on screen time for children and young people.
This is a panic whose verdict is being written right now. Feel free to set your own meters.
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