TED Radio Hour: Did Social Media Break a Generation — or Just Change It?

Date: February 20, 2026
Host: Manoush Zomorodi (NPR)
Guests: Jonathan Haidt (social psychologist and author), Catherine Price (author), Maximilian Milovydov (Gen Z TikTok youth council)

Episode Overview

This episode tackles the urgent and controversial question: Has social media irreparably harmed the current generation, or simply transformed it? Host Manoush Zomorodi explores the ongoing legal, cultural, and psychological debates with prominent thinkers, including Jonathan Haidt, whose research and activism have galvanized global efforts to safeguard children from the harms of social media. The episode features varied perspectives, from Haidt’s advocacy for systemic restrictions to a Gen Z student’s pushback, and concludes with practical advice on fostering genuine fun and connection in a screen-saturated world.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Legal and Political Reckoning for Social Media Giants

• Social media companies (Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube) are facing landmark lawsuits for allegedly fueling a youth mental health crisis and intentionally designing addictive platforms ([01:11]–[01:34]).
• Countries beyond the US, like Australia and France, are instituting bans on social media for users under 16, inspiring similar moves worldwide ([01:38]–[02:01]).
• Jonathan Haidt is credited as a key figure in igniting the global movement to regulate kids’ digital lives through his books The Anxious Generation and The Amazing Generation.

2. Jonathan Haidt’s “Anxious Generation” Hypothesis

• Haidt observed a dramatic increase in anxiety, fragility, and unrest among college students starting around 2014–2015 ([02:45]–[03:13]).
• He attributes this to the sudden, widespread adoption of smartphones and social media among preteens and teenagers. Kids spend 8-10 hours/day on screens, pushing out sleep, play, socialization, reading, and eye contact ([03:36]–[04:34]).
• He argues that this hyper-stimulation and lack of real-world engagement can "change brain development in ways that will make you less capable, confident, happy, and sociable as an adult." ([03:36])

Notable Quote

“If you spend those crucial years, you know, age 11 or 12 through 16, swiping five hours a day on highly stimulating videos... my claim is that will change brain development.”
— Jonathan Haidt [03:36]

3. Social, Physical, and Psychological Harms Outlined

• Direct impacts go beyond mental health: sleep deprivation, physical inactivity, and exposure to sexual predators via social media ([05:26]–[06:04]).
  • Social media “puts children into conversation with anonymous men” who may aim to exploit or harm.
  • Newer threats include sports betting and gambling gamified within platforms.
• Haidt warns against waiting for conclusive proof of harm: “Unless something is proven safe for kids, we probably should keep them away from it.” ([06:10])

4. Policy Solutions: The Four Norms

Haidt proposes four key strategies to roll back what he calls a “phone-based childhood” ([07:07]–[07:47]):

1. No smartphones before high school
2. No social media before age 16
3. Phone-free schools — not just in class, but for the entire school day
4. Restore independence and free play for kids

Notable Quote

“When a school goes phone free and it’s well enforced, you get magical results. The universal thing we hear is that teachers say, we hear laughter in the hallways again.”
— Jonathan Haidt [07:54]

5. Tracking Global Policy Progress

• Australia quickly enacted its under-16 social media ban, with politicians across the spectrum adopting Haidt’s proposals ([08:37]–[09:26]).
• Enforcement is achieved by shifting the burden onto tech companies, leveraging age-assurance technologies. However, some children circumvent bans via VPNs, though the additional friction discourages persistent use ([09:29]–[10:12]).

6. The Lawsuit Landscape and Platform Accountability

• US lawsuits allege platforms knowingly design harmful, addictive experiences for youth but are shielded by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act ([10:12]–[11:11]).
• Haidt calls for accountability that goes beyond financial settlements: he wants “a sea change in thinking” and systemic design changes to platforms (ending infinite scroll, autoplay, algorithmic recommendations) ([11:42]–[12:31]).

7. Gen Z Counters the Narrative (Maximilian Milovydov Interview)

• Maximilian, a Gen Z member, acknowledges having struggled with compulsive phone use but pushes back on blanket generational labels ([15:57]–[16:17]):

  “When you label an entire generation as anxious, it kind of defines them. Gen Z is just going to think, well, we’re cursed...”
  — Maximilian Milovydov [15:57]

• He argues that the mental health crisis has multiple causes: economic precarity, college costs, climate anxiety, institutional distrust, the pandemic, and rising violence ([17:18]).

• Maximilian sees value in phone-free schools but warns outright bans will drive kids to less safe platforms and “won’t work at the population level.” Instead, he advocates for trust, family discussion, and teaching navigation skills ([18:36]–[20:16]).

• He critiques top-down, “nostalgic” approaches and asserts: “control doesn’t teach resilience, conversation does.” ([21:13])

Notable Quote

“We need to teach children how to navigate the world that’s existing now... not trying to idealize a world that is no longer here.”
— Maximilian Milovydov [20:52]

8. The Next Frontier: AI and Algorithmic Companions

• Maximilian discusses widespread adoption of AI chatbots and warns against repeating old mistakes of unregulated innovation ([22:07]–[23:57]).
• Both guests agree that, moving forward, openness, trust, and parent-kid dialogue about new technologies (AI, social platforms included) will be crucial.

9. Jonathan Haidt Responds to Critiques and Lays Out Evidence

• Haidt stresses that although not all kids are harmed, clear generational-level changes have been documented. He points to both user self-reports (“30% of girls say this is harming my mental health”) and internal platform research ([26:21]–[28:18]).
• Dissenting researchers, like Candice Odgers, believe the harms are being oversold; Haidt maintains the “magnitude and velocity” of the shift is what is significant ([28:45]–[29:29]).
• He underscores systemic/structural challenges for families (expensive childcare, diminished after-school options) while holding that removing devices from schools and addictive features is the most equitable answer ([30:50]–[31:38]).

10. Media & Digital Literacy — Sufficient?

• Haidt is skeptical about “digital literacy” as the primary solution (“How has that gone?”), characterizing the platforms’ addictiveness as a collective action problem, not just an education issue ([32:44]–[33:23], [36:18]–[36:38]).
• He distinguishes between “good” tech use in schools (long-form, educational videos) and the harm from short-form content like TikTok and Reels (“the short-form videos seem to be the most devastating…” [37:16]).

11. AI “Attachment Hacking”: A Dangerous New Phase

• Haidt frames the emergence of AI companions as an existential threat potentially “10 times more harmful” than social media ([38:35]–[41:19]):

  “What’s about to happen... is now they're hacking attachment. Kids are lonely. We're mammals who are seeking connection... All of that is now at risk.”
  — Jonathan Haidt [39:45]

• He floats a fifth “norm”: no AI companions for minors.

12. Vision for Change and Hope

• Legal, parental, and school action is working; policy is shifting around the world, and “digital tech is deforming children” is becoming accepted wisdom ([41:32]).
• Haidt concludes: “What we’re discovering is... we actually can push back. We can get laws enacted, and there is a chance that we can get some balance back into our lives.” ([42:51])

Catherine Price — The “Amazing Generation” and Finding Real Fun

13. Reimagining Childhood: The Fight for Fun

• Price and Haidt’s new book targets younger readers, depicting children as heroes in a battle against “tech wizards” who control their attention with “magical stones” (phones) ([43:38]).

• Instead of just telling kids to put down their phones, the book offers concrete alternatives rooted in Price’s research on “true fun” ([45:04]):

  • True fun is a mix of playfulness, connection, and flow (a state of total engagement) ([46:22]).
  • “Fake fun” is engagement that lacks these ingredients—often what’s found mindlessly scrolling.

Notable Quote

"Fake fun is the term I came up with to refer to the feeling we get from these other activities... Marketed to us as fun, but [they don’t] produce playful, connected flow."
— Catherine Price [48:03]

14. Practical Strategies for Parents and Kids

• Encourage spontaneous opportunities for connection (e.g., catching falling leaves in a park).
• “Engineer” fun by identifying your personal “fun magnets” (people, places, and activities that reliably spark joy and connection) and prioritizing them ([50:24]–[51:46]).
• The shift away from screens isn’t about deprivation, but about rediscovering joy, freedom, and community.

Notable Quote

“You can use your fun magnets to carve out time and be a little bit more specific about how you are spending your limited leisure time in hopes that it will lead to true fun.”
— Catherine Price [52:39]

Timestamps for Significant Segments

• [03:36] — Haidt on the developmental costs of excessive social media use
• [07:07] — Haidt’s “four norms” for healthy childhoods
• [08:37] — How age-bans are rapidly spreading globally
• [10:12] — US lawsuits, Section 230, and tech company accountability
• [15:57] — Maximilian Milovydov counters the “anxious generation” label
• [18:36] — Why bans and blanket restrictions may backfire
• [26:21] — Haidt and Price on parsing causality, direct vs. correlational evidence
• [32:44] — Discussion of digital literacy and its limits
• [38:35] — The coming risks of AI “attachment hacking”
• [43:38] — Reframing screen time as a “battle for attention” in the children’s book
• [46:22] — Defining and pursuing “true fun”
• [52:39] — Practical tips for engineering more fun and meaningful experiences

Memorable Quotes

(with speaker and timestamp as above)

• “If you spend those crucial years... swiping five hours a day... that will change brain development.” — Jonathan Haidt [03:36]
• “When a school goes phone free and it’s well enforced... we hear laughter in the hallways again.” — Jonathan Haidt [07:54]
• “When you label an entire generation as anxious, it kind of defines them. Gen Z is just going to think, well, we’re cursed...” — Maximilian Milovydov [15:57]
• “Control doesn’t teach resilience, conversation does.” — Maximilian Milovydov [21:13]
• “What’s about to happen... is now they're hacking attachment... All of that is now at risk.” — Jonathan Haidt [39:45]
• “Fake fun is the term I came up with to refer to... activities... Marketed to us as fun, but [they don’t] produce playful, connected flow.” — Catherine Price [48:03]

Takeaways for Listeners

• Social media’s effects are complex, with passionate debate over whether harm is causal, population-wide, or amplified by other societal factors.
• Policy is rapidly shifting worldwide, with school phone bans and age limits enacted in numerous countries.
• Critics, especially young people, warn that top-down solutions may backfire without buy-in, trust, and nuance.
• New threats loom as AI shifts from attention to “attachment hacking.”
• Lasting solutions require conversation, structural change, and a rediscovery of fun, community, and analogue connection.

This episode provides a multifaceted lens on the digital childhood debate—part warning, part call to action, and part practical guide to reclaiming fun in the age of the endless scroll.