Conference Presentation, Interview, Fireside Chat
Author Talk: Jonathan Haidt, "The Anxious Generation" | Global Conference 2025
- Jennifer Siebel Newsom anticipates a "California Love California strong" campaign focusing on self-care, social connection, and service, alongside partnerships between libraries, state parks, and schools to support a lifetime of wellness through the "California for All Kids" initiative.
- John Haidt predicts a sharp global rise in girls' mental health issues following a 2013 inflection point and expects boys to experience a decline driven by factors other than social media-induced depression, while noting that high-dopamine exposure during childhood could potentially cause permanent changes to dopamine systems.
- Haidt forecasts that normalized sports betting mechanics will lead to a wave of bankruptcies among young men and anticipates 20% to 30% of 30-year-olds continuing to live with parents, a rate significantly higher than that of girls.
- Haidt asserts that if 20% of families at a school adopt smartphone usage restrictions, it will become difficult for remaining parents to resist, creating a social environment where children who play are considered "cool kids."
- Haidt predicts that seven states have already enacted phone-free school laws with the remaining 43 in process, and that if 10 to 15 countries implement such norms, children will again be seen alone on bicycles or walking to stores.
- Haidt proposes 16 as the normative age for "Internet adulthood" and predicts that allowing smartphone and social media use before this age will create enormous obstacles to romance, marriage, and family formation.
- Haidt claims TikTok possesses unique powers to impair reading and attention spans, stating that computer distraction effects on children "vastly outweigh" any claimed edtech benefits, noting test scores for the bottom half of students have declined since 2012-2015.
- Haidt warns that as machines become increasingly intelligent, humans may become "stupider," making dystopian scenarios plausible, a trend he believes affects the ability of all generations to read books and learn.
- Haidt expects a "mother's rebellion" to emerge as mothers feel the separation from their children more acutely than fathers, driving a movement that includes the "Let Grow" organization's goal of having students return home independently three times to build confidence.
- Haidt cites a Harris Poll survey where 20% to 30% of parents admit to giving technology too early, with zero respondents believing they gave it too late, while expressing concern that avoiding "hard things" like courting or reading will lead to an inability to face challenges by college age.
- The session is identified as the "probably most in-demand author talk of the next three days" and is designed to maintain an intimate, welcoming, and conversational environment.
- Jennifer Siebel Newsom identifies the need for device and tech companies to take responsibility as a central tension for families navigating the digital world.
- Haidt anticipates that the movement at "anxiousgeneration.com" will provide resources for parents, legislators, and teachers while growing through allied interests.
- Haidt expects that if hundreds of eight-year-olds in a town begin running errands unaccompanied, this activity will become a normal sight again.