The teen mental health crisis is continuous to make headlines. We’ve all seen the surprising information, from despair amongst teenagers being up by 60 percent to 40 % of highschool college students reporting persistent disappointment/hopelessness, per the CDC’s 2024 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary & Trends Report. Mother and father are rightfully involved and not sure the place to show, which is the place consultants like Jonathan Haidt are available in. The social psychologist revealed The Anxious Generation to a lot fanfare in 2024, positing that know-how is on the coronary heart of Gen Z’s psychological well being issues.
“No smartphones earlier than highschool” is one in every of Haidt’s guidelines; no social media earlier than age 16 is one other. On the identical time, he encourages dad and mom to present their teenagers extra freedom and duty in the true world.
The tenets sound like solid, common-sense rules — if a bit troublesome to implement in 2025, when youngsters are getting smartphones as early as elementary college. But when we all know what dad and mom take into consideration Haidt’s philosophies — and the psychological well being disaster usually — what do teenagers should say?
When SheKnows requested our Teen Council to observe a couple of of Haidt’s viral clips, the reactions have been decidedly blended. “What’s he speaking about?!” was one teen’s response to Haidt’s ideas on know-how and teenage psychological well being. Others raised questions in regards to the cause-and-effect nature he appears to espouse. “It’s a very anxious era,” one teen agreed. “However I don’t know if that’s [just] as a result of we speak about our emotions much more.” In different phrases, are teenagers truly affected by extra psychological sickness than earlier generations, or are they simply speaking about it extra?
That mentioned, many teenagers agreed that younger youngsters don’t have to have smartphones or be on social media. “Letting youngsters have telephones [younger] than 13 is type of quite a bit,” one teen mentioned. “Having TikTok and Instagram, that’s simply not obligatory. They need to be outdoors enjoying.”
However the teenagers additionally balked at the concept that social media is all bad. “Individuals which might be older principally have a look at the dangerous results of social media as an alternative of additionally seeing it’s a huge type of communication,” one teen mentioned. “I undoubtedly am capable of join with my mates… on social media. However there are for certain methods the place individuals are lonely from evaluating themselves to different folks.”
“Individuals being on their telephones quite a bit and psychological sickness are simply separate issues,” agreed one other teen.
And, usually, a few of our teenagers suppose the issue is overexaggerated. “There’s only a narrative of portray Gen Z as so depressed and speaking about psychological well being quite a bit,” one teen mentioned. “I believe it’s develop into kind of oversaturated. That’s all folks should say once they speak about Gen Z.”
The kids had lots extra to say about psychological well being and Haidt’s views on it. Watch the total video above for all their reactions and insights.
Earlier than you go, take a look at our favourite psychological well being apps:
