Social psychologist reveals the primary reason behind degrading mental health of kids
Depression has become a common phenomenon amongst Gen Z. With youngsters rapidly spiraling into the pool of various mental health issues, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt decided to shed some light on this growing concern. Haidt, who also penned a book titled "Anxious Generation," encouraged parents to ask themselves an important question before dealing with their kids. "What did you love about your childhood? What are your best memories?" Haidt prompted parents to ask themselves during his ABC Good Morning America interview.
"The typical answer can help show parents the importance of getting their kids off technology and outside, interacting in-person with other kids," Haidt mentioned. "It's being outside with other kids playing. You make up the rules. You are having fun. That's nature's way of having mammals wire up their brains." He added that "kids need play and independence if they're going to become healthy, happy, and independent adults." According to the psychologist, mental health issues among youngsters were pretty uncommon for a long time. However, the levels of mental illness in kids started rising during the years 2012 and 2013, he noted.
Haidt stressed that the primary reason behind the decline of Gen Z's mental health was their growing use of smartphones. "Millennials went through puberty with flip phones and flip phones aren't particularly bad. You use them just to communicate," Haidt said during the interview. "It was when we gave kids smartphones and then right around that time, they also got social media accounts. When kids move their social lives onto social media like that, it's not human. It doesn't help them develop. And right away, mental health collapses."
He also noted that it could become a difficult job for parents to hold back their kids from using smartphones and social media. "We're having trouble because we don't want to be the only one who doesn't give our kid a phone," Haidt explained further. He proposed four guidelines on phones and social media usage that need to become a "norm" all over the world. He suggested not giving youngsters any access to smartphones before they reach high school. Even without a smartphone, kids can be kept well connected with their parents for safety purposes with the help of a flip phone.
"No social media before age 16," Haidt advised, adding that the schools should implement "phone-free" surroundings or build locker facilities for students to keep their phones in during their classes. Haidt also shared how important it is to introduce children to more "free play" and responsibilities in the real world. The kids are free to play in their backyards or at the playgrounds with peers but playtime is necessary for their growth and social development. "What kids really need to be doing is playing," he concluded. "We're mammals. This is what all mammals do. Anyone who has had a puppy or a kitten knows that they want to play all the time. So do toddlers, young children and even teenagers."
