Parents who've lost children to social media harms (sextortion, drugs sold on IG/Snap, eating disorders) are joining arms with parents who've lost children to AI chat bots. The saddest Venn diagram of compounding harms:

"A relationship rarely dies from one catastrophic betrayal, and most of the couples I see aren’t destroyed by a single event. They erode through tiny departures that are too frequent to ignore, in which one partner’s attention leaves the room while their body is still there." Latest on our Substack:

Still more evidence that #edtech harmed American education: Across states, the year that the state imposed mandates requiring computers/tablets is the year that test scores stopped rising and in most cases started falling. By Jared Cooney Hovarth:

It's a big day for us at the Anxious Generation movement — we launched the Childhood Index, a ranking of US states on how well their technology laws and policies support healthy, flourishing childhoods, online and offline. Where does your state rank? Thank you @axios.com for the exclusive story!

Join us on March 31st in NYC! www.eventbrite.com/e/left-to-th...

Major new report on mental health (Sapien Labs). Data from 85 countries: 1) In ALL countries examined, young people have worse mental health than older generations. 2) A younger age of first smartphone ownership is associated with increased suicidal thoughts & other problems in adulthood.

"For those of us who study how change happens, this is a master class. An idea that seemed politically impossible in early 2024 has become politically inevitable by early 2026." Thank you @fastcompany.com

“No evidence of harm” is a familiar argument, but it’s a false one — both in the context of social media and in educational technology. The latest on my Substack, After Babel, by Jared Cooney Hovarth www.afterbabel.com/p/edtech-bor...

Freya India is one of the best writers I know, and she's only 26 (Gen Z). I wrote about her in "The Anxious Generation." She now has a book of her own, out in the UK today and in the US in May. I would tag her, but like many Gen Z'ers now, she doesn't have social media.

We live in a world where wealthy industries can buy influence and continue to harm kids. But that is changing. Thanks for having Catherine Price and me, @thedailyshow.com! "The Amazing Generation" is on sale wherever books are sold, aimed at 9-12yo's. www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7SC...

Swiping for new content is one of many addictive gestures social media borrowed from gambling. A wide-ranging conversation with Manoush Zomorodi for TED Radio Hour, a co-production with NPR (40 min). www.npr.org/programs/ted...

Bravo to the NPTA for deciding not to pursue further funding from Meta. Big tech knows their products are harming children, and they have spent vast sums of money confusing the public and trying to fund organizations that are supposed to defend children.

Yes, social media apps are intentionally designed to addict — Roger McNamee, early advisor to Zuckerberg and early investor in Facebook confirms: www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4yp...

When Zuckerberg says there is no causation, only correlation, between social media and mental health harms to kids, that is patently false. Thanks for having me @cbsnews.com (7-min video) www.cbsnews.com/video/anxiou...

In 2024, Zuckerberg said to Congress, “We are on the side of parents everywhere working hard to raise their kids.” That wasn't, and isn't, true. Tomorrow we hear from Zuckerberg in the LA social media trial. He has a lot to account for.

At the trial last week in Los Angeles, Adam Mosseri claimed that Instagram is not addictive. He said a kid compulsively watching 16 hours of Reels a day is no different than when he watches too much Netflix and stays up a bit too late.

Since kids got social media, family time has become a fight over screen time. Had a great conversation with @katiecouric.bsky.social on our Substacks, thanks Katie!

Social media does not give teens real community; it prevents them from spending time with real people. New randomized controlled trial shows young adults get LESS lonely when they reduce, even though their friends are not reducing. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

"There’s never been a better time to touch the hearts of people, you just have to be human." A wonderful post on my Substack by Freya India, one of the best writers I know, who writes about Gen Z. www.afterbabel.com/p/you-have-t...

It was an honor to meet Indonesia's Minister Hafid on my recent trip to Europe and hear about how, beginning in March, Indonesia is taking decisive steps to protect children from online harms. It is thrilling to see the world's 4th largest country — with 80 million kids — taking decisive action.

This book from @jonathanhaidt.bsky.social seems like a good place to start for parents that want to talk to their kids about how AI can be addictive just like other apps blackbondbooks.com/item/uFul1NH...

Maine Governor @janetmillsforme.bsky.social announced in her State of the State address last night her intent to champion a bell-to-bell ban for Maine. Bravo, governor! This would be a fantastic way to allow kids to focus not presence, learning, and each other. www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwPk...

If you're in NYC on Thursday Feb 5, join @chrislhayes.bsky.social & me at Strand Bookstore! RSVP here: www.eventbrite.com/e/chris-haye...

A highlight from my London trip: running into a group of survivor parents (whose children have died because of social media) outside No10. We must make the internet safe for kids by age-gating social media and setting new norms for kids' and teens' device use.

The greatest downside from social media — for adults, but especially for kids and teens — is the attention fragmentation. The UK is about to adopt an Australia-style minimum age for social media accounts policy — this morning on Good Morning Britain:

@jonathanhaidt.bsky.social is absolutely correct here. It’s a collective action problem that requires collective solutions. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/16/p...

Perhaps more than any other group, looksmaxxers reveal the depth of the moral crisis that confronts young men today. @chatterton.bsky.social in @theatlantic.com www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

Grateful to President Macron for an engaging conversation at #Davos on how to protect kids from predatory #socialmedia algorithms. I appreciate the President and his cabinet working toward an Australia-like policy.

I'll be at #HumanChange in #Davos during the World Economic Forum next week. I’ll be joined by leaders from across technology, education, policy, psychology and civil society. Learn more about our program and register your interest here: davos2026.humanchange.com #HumanChangeHouse #WEF2026

Major update on our work: In the last few years, a flood of new research has altered the landscape of the debate around kids, smartphones, and social media. Together, these findings allow us say: 📣 No, social media is not safe for children and adolescents. www.afterbabel.com/p/mountains-...

Many countries are going to follow #Australia's #socialmedia minimum age policy. Here's why countries should all set 16 (not 15) as the minimum age, and should not add the complexity of parental-consent exceptions. From me and @iyerland.bsky.social on my Substack, After Babel

The Grok "undress" button scandal is just the latest evidence that social media is wildly inappropriate for minors. Social media is causing chaos and cruelty in children's lives. Teachers see it: UK teachers union calls for a minimum age of 16:

New Jersey just became the 21st state to implement #phonefreeschools for the entire school day! Thank you @govmurphy.bsky.social for seeing this bill through, and for everyone who worked to restore a healthier childhood and adolescence to New Jersey's kids! www.yahoo.com/news/article...

One of the reasons to believe smartphones and social media are bad for kids and teens is the fact that the people who make these technologies forbid them to their own kids. Thank you @neildegrassetyson.com for having me on StarTalk! Full episode in their pod feeds.

One of @theatlantic.com's most read stories for 2025, by Lenore Skenazy, Zach Rausch & me: www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

It’s pub day for #TheAmazingGeneration, my new book for kids, written w/Catherine Price. The book is perfect for 9-12-year-olds, whether or not they already have a smartphone. It’s an engaging, full-color guide packed with surprising facts, interactive challenges, and it has a graphic novel!

Parents asked us for a kids' companion book to "The Anxious Generation," and we wrote it! "The Amazing Generation" comes out 12/30. Written for 9-12yos, it helps them choose real-life adventure over the lure of screens. With Catherine Price — thanks @morningjoe-msnow.bsky.social

“The Amazing Generation,” my new book with Catherine Price, helps kids choose real-life adventure over the endless screens. It comes out 12/30!

📢Our piece on @jonathanhaidt.bsky.social's "After Babel" Substack: Strong public support to restrict social media for children in Germany www.afterbabel.com/p/strong-pub... A huge majority of adults favors a minimum age for social media – and even adolescents themselves see harm from social media

EDUCATORS! Just a few more weeks to preorder upload your receipt to get your FREE classroom pack with purchase of THE AMAZING GENERATION—the companion to THE ANXIOUS GENERATION written specifically for kids! @jonathanhaidt.bsky.social

The Australia social media age limit policy is the most significant measure to protect children from social media harms — and other countries are already planning similar measures www.heraldsun.com.au/news/nationa...

What the Australia social media age-gating policy does and doesn't do — with @iyerland.bsky.social. More on my (free) Substack, After Babel: www.afterbabel.com/p/australia-...

"If the devil wanted to destroy a generation, he could just give them all smartphones," writes TPN member @jonathanhaidt.bsky.social. www.afterbabel.com/p/the-devils...

A great breakdown of the upcoming Australia social media age-gating law — many voices including mine: techpolicy.au/podcast/part...

Great speaking to @chrissyteigen.bsky.social on her Audible podcast — find us on Audible or wherever you get your pods #ChrissyxAudible adbl.co/SelfConsciousPod

Incredible news out of NJ, where @govmurphy.bsky.social said a bell-to-bell phone-free school policy is "among, if not the highest priority" he has! Thank you, Governor Murphy, @speakercoughlin.bsky.social and everyone working to give kids the gift of attention & synchronous, real-life connection!

I and a growing number of professors ban all devices during class — even our grad students fall into distraction. How can K-12 students handle it? @jeantwenge.bsky.social shows that they can't. Get laptops and tablets out of classrooms now: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/16/o...

Time to Refuse — led and run by Gen Z'ers — organizes these wonderful events. You can host one near you! timetorefuse.org thephiladelphiacitizen.org/the-citizen-...

EDUCATORS! PREORDER ALERT! Preorder THE AMAZING GENERATION written by @jonathanhaidt.bsky.social and Catherine Price and illustrated by Cynthia Yuan Cheng and submit your receipt to receive a FREE classroom pack. Find out more and preorder at the link below. ⁠

Gen Z organizing more real-world, screen-free events! www.nytimes.com/2025/10/30/s...