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Reasonably Optimistic

Is TikTok rewiring childhood?

Today · 54 min
0:00-54:25

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As students head back to school, families and educators are facing a growing question: What should they do about smartphones?


Host Megan McArdle is joined by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt to talk about how TikTok, social media and constant digital stimulation may be changing the way children pay attention, stay motivated and cope emotionally. They discuss how childhood shifted from play-based to phone-based, how strong the evidence really is that social media is harming kids and whether phone-free schools, age limits and new family norms can help turn things around.


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