Children are more anxious than ever, and birthrates are lower than ever. Psychologist Jonathan Haidt has a new book out that overlaps with my new book about parenting, culture, low birthrates, and the epidemic of childhood anxiety.
Haidt has a ton of critics, which is to say that a ton of commentators are arguing that smartphones and social media such as TikTok are harmless for children.
At the Daily Beast, editor Mike Masnick makes just that argument, with some telling details.
The first thing you’ll notice about this TikTok-for-Teens defender is that he attacks parents. “The Coddling of the American Parent” is the headline. Blaming smartphones and social media is a way of “absolving themselves of their own failings in raising children,” Masnick says.
After Masnick positions himself against parents in defending social media for children, he makes this interesting…
