E84: Let’s Fix Social Media with Jonathan Haidt

In this episode of Upstream, Erik Torenberg sits in with social psychologist Jonathan Haidt to discuss his book, 'The Anxious Generation.' They dive into the severe impact of social media on youth mental health and explore Jonathan's recommendations for smartphone and social media usage among teens. They discuss the broader implications for democracy and the political divide, focusing on how these issues are intertwined with the tech industry.  — 🔥 Apply to join over 400 founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: https://www.turpentinenetwork.co/ — SPONSORS: 📝Notion offers powerful workflow and automation templates, perfect for streamlining processes and laying the groundwork for AI-driven automation. With Notion AI, you can search across thousands of documents from various platforms, generating highly relevant analysis and content tailored just for you - try it for free at notion.com/upstreampod  💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. — LINKS: Jonathan's newsletter: https://www.afterbabel.com/ The Anxious Generation website: https://www.anxiousgeneration.com/ (Book) The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness: https://www.amazon.com/Anxious-Generation-Rewiring-Childhood-Epidemic/dp/0593655036  — X / TWITTER: https://twitter.com/JonHaidt  https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg  https://twitter.com/Upstream__Pod  https://twitter.com/TurpentineMedia — TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (01:07) Evolution of Jonathan's work: from moral psychology to 'The Anxious Generation' (02:21) The impact of social media on teen mental health (04:15) The tragedy of overprotection and underprotection (07:37) Pushback and debates on social media's impact (12:48) The moral panic argument and its flaws (17:48) Sponsors: Notion | Squad (24:34) The role of algorithms and social media dynamics (27:33) Liberal vs. conservative responses to social media (28:47) Exploring After Babel (29:03) The rise of anxiety and depression: a data-driven analysis (29:19) Gender, politics, and mental health: a closer look (31:20) The role of religion and community in mental health (32:00) Parenting styles and their impact on youth (32:39) The political implications of mental health trends (33:21) Smartphone recommendations for a healthier childhood (34:21) The broader impact of smartphones on society (35:02) Schools and the loneliness epidemic (41:08) The role of tech companies in youth well-being (42:27) Addressing criticisms and misconceptions (46:25) The importance of design over content in social media (56:09) Wrap