Argus Poll: Jonathan Haidt's New Norms

By THE ARGUS STAFF

In his book The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt analyzes the rise in anxiety, depression, and other issues amongst Gen Z (people born between 1997-2013) and recommends four "new norms" (standards for society). He argues that children would be healthier mentally if America agreed to the following shared guidelines:

1) No smartphones before high school

2) No social media before age 16

3) Phone-free schools

4) Kids should have more independence, free play, and responsibility in the real world.

We asked 227 Midwood students and 22 teachers whether they agree or disagreed with these suggested new norms. Here’s what they said:

1. "In general, it would be better if parents did not let their kids have smartphones before high school."

STUDENTS:

34% agree

66% disagree

TEACHERS:

82% agree

18% disagree

2. "In general, it would be better if kids couldn't have social media accounts before age 16."

STUDENTS:

49% agree

51% disagree

TEACHERS:

77% agree

23% disagree

3. “In general, it would be better if phones were not allowed in school."

STUDENTS:

19% agree

81% disagree

TEACHERS:

77% agree

23% disagree

4. "In general, it would be better if kids had more independence, opportunities to play / hang out together without parental guidance, and responsibility in the real world."

STUDENTS:

78% agree

22% disagree

TEACHERS:

82% agree

18% disagree

Summary:

Students mostly opposed Haidt’s new norms. A strong majority (66%) thought parents should let their children have smartphones before high school, and an overwhelming majority (81%) thought students should be able to have their phones in school. However, our teen respondents were about evenly split on whether children should be able to have social media accounts before age 16.

Teachers felt very differently; over three quarters of them supported all four of Haidt’s new norms, revealing concerns about the effects of smartphones and social media on teenagers both in and out of school.

The one thing both groups agreed on was the need for more free play and independence for children and young people – 78% of students and 82% of teachers supported this “new norm.”

STUDENT Comments:

“Kids should be allowed to have phones and social media accounts once they turn 13, because that’s when they really start maturing and understanding the world. When they make new friends, having a phone and social media will really help with those connections.”

“Younger generations are being exposed to devices at an early age instead of being engaged in academics. They are unable to do simple tasks and are spending less time outside and more time on the screen. Additionally, children are easy to manipulate, so whatever unsupervised content they are exposed to will have a psychological effect on them. It's frightening to see this because they will be our future.”

“There should be a limit to the independence parents can grant their children, because that could mean coming home whenever they like, hanging around the wrong friend group, or acting impulsively because they were granted more freedom.”

“We need to have smartphones in schools for our safety. You never know what’s going to happen.”

“In general, social media needs to be reformed. The advertisement and algorithm business model is not good for anyone, and it has too much power over people for it to be controlled by private companies.”

“Unrestricted social media can be very damaging to children, especially developing teens. However, children shouldn’t be the only ones held accountable for their social media usage. It’s very important that adults properly teach internet safety!”

“While adding a valid age restriction for social media apps may limit adolescents’ exposure to harmful effects and ideologies, family intervention plays a bigger role in monitoring children's internet activities and what they see and retain online.”

“The issue of age restrictions depends on the app and on the maturity of the child. Also, I'd try not to be too strict about it because strict parents raise sneaky kids. Completely sheltering children from social media will only make them want it more.”

“Little kids should not have devices since they aren't mature enough to handle them. This is why things like cyberbullying happen so much, because kids can’t control themselves. If you need to call your parents to tell them that you're safe, then you should buy a flip phone. Phones are a distraction from class, reality, and more.”

“Societal norms have made it so adolescents as young as seven want to start using social media to try and fit in.”

“Some children need to have access to social media to communicate with relatives and others. However, they should not be able to use it without restrictions until they reach a certain age. There is inappropriate and dangerous content online that kids should not have access to.”

“Honestly, I avoid social media and I feel like although teens may spend all their time looking at their phones, social media can create a mindset of not only comparing strangers to yourself, but also comparing friends to yourself, causing you to distance yourself from others at times.”