19 Comments

I teach at a university, and the class I teach relevant to this comment is an introductory class to environmental science. I took the class to the school's arboretum today and gave them 10 questions to answer about what they could find in the woods. I let them use apps, like iNaturalist and Merlin, but I sensed a problem when I watched them work. They could use the apps, but they did not know how to look. They look through their phones, they don't use the phone as a tool. They don't see or use their own senses directly. Of course, the problem is variable, and one student just wandered around happily after class looking at flowers. He was the only one who did not leave before the class was officially over. Now, at home, I saw your post. I copied it, made a .pdf document of it and posted it to my class. Perhaps one student might read Haidt's work, and hopefully many of them will read yours. You are touching on a problem that manifests itself as "The Sound of Silence" before class starts, and I am afraid "They do not know that silence like a cancer grows." Thanks for the review.

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The "sound of silence" is such a sad descriptor in this context! There is a time and place for quiet reflection, but that's not what this is, and it certainly doesn't belong in university classrooms that should be buzzing with discussion. Thank you for sharing my piece. I hope it helps.

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Oof, I teach university as well, and am horrified by "the sound of silence". I taught pre-pandemic and my class got told off by the lecturer next door because they were so chatty and noisy during the break. Now when we have breaks, one or two will chat quietly, but everyone else is on their phones, and I'm left sitting awkwardly since no one comes up to chat with me.

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Wow definitely picking up a copy of this! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

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Junk science. There is no such increase in suicide - it's actually decreased- in the UK. And our kids have mobile phones even earlier than American kids.

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Just hopping on here to ask for a source for this claim? It's pretty easy to refute. The UK has followed the trend present in nearly every western country- teen suicide attempts make a jump around 2014, and have continued to rise at an unprecedented rate, especially for girls.

https://stateofchildhealth.rcpch.ac.uk/evidence/mental-health/suicide/#:~:text=Since%202013%2C%20suicide%20rates%20have,some%20point%20in%20their%20lives.

https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2023/05/03/suicide-rates-for-girls-are-rising-are-smartphones-to-blame

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Data doesn't go long enough. Started to drop again in recent years.

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/suicide-rates-among-young-women-who-mdb?country=USA~AUS~GBR~CAN

If you look at the long term rates here, it doesn't really look like anything special or unusual. Could very easily be an entirely spurious conclusion. Epidemiological data is very unreliable to begin with.

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Jul 27·edited Jul 27

That drop happened in 2020, and these statistics haven’t been updated on this chart since the. There was a drop in suicides globally around that time due to COVID-19 I believe.

The latest statistics I can find are here which sadly had the average for young women quite high again, for what it’s worth.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/near-to-real-time-suspected-suicide-surveillance-nrtsss-for-england/statistical-report-near-to-real-time-suspected-suicide-surveillance-nrtsss-for-england-for-the-15-months-to-august-2023

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I requested this book from the library before it was even released because I couldn't wait to read it. (I've read his other books too and they are fascinating to me.) I feel like the book backs up with research what so many of the things we as parents and caregivers already know in our hearts and see with our own eyes. I know it's only anecdotal, but nearly every parent I know sees negative changes in their children following excessive screen time. Not to mention the opportunity cost of what else kids could be doing instead. Thanks for sharing this! I hope the momentum to promote his four norms gains significant traction.

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Thank you for sharing this valuable insight! Our society's children need more of this candor if we are to actively overcome the widespread dopamine addiction that afflicts our world. Our toxic habits around screen usage are an excellent example, but they are only one of the MANY ways in which dopamine addiction manifests itself. It exemplifies the instant-gratification mindset of younger generations. This is an incredibly important issue that absolutely needs to be discussed. Thanks for shedding light on it!

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Great article. The title caught my attention but your content kept me here. My sons behavior became so bizarre after tv whenever he wanted and occasional iPad use, we almost threw away our tv and the iPad. Now, it's scheduled tv times (our aim is only 30 mins or less a day) and no iPad or cellphone usage.

We do our best, but we have this information and aren't sticking our heads under rocks. Thanks for sharing this review.

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It ain’t gonna get better - atomization will continue

A lot of this is economic but yeah keep blaming social media

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It will get better for some and worse for others. You get to choose which will be you. Nihilism and despair or Christianity and hope. Good luck on the decision.

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My city's public schools were off today for Eid. This explains why last night, the school yard behind our house was filled with playing preteens after dark, which I loved. But it doesn't explain why today, when I took my son and his friend out in a different neighborhood, we saw no other children outside. Where was everyone? I know the answer, but it is such a bummer.

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I think the four takeaways from Haidt's book are common sense! I do wonder if you read the Nature review: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00902-2 and what your thoughts are on it! :)

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I did read it, and then read Haidt's lengthy response: https://www.afterbabel.com/p/phone-based-childhood-cause-epidemic. The Nature review's arguments felt thin. Interestingly, the author works for the Jacobs Foundation, which works to digitize education globally and push new tech products in schools, so it appears there is a motivation to discredit Haidt's call to limit devices in schools.

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Oh geez, I didn’t know that. Thank you for sharing!

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Apr 11Liked by Katherine Johnson Martinko

Haidt wrote a response to the Nature piece (here on Substack), and it made me feel even more strongly that his thesis is correct. I've also read the first section of the book, and the data is extremely persuasive.

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I didn’t know that! I’ll check out his response!

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