EP327 Screens, schools, and the future of childhood: a candid dialogue with Jonathan Haidt

Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers

“We have overprotected kids in the real world and underprotected them online.”

Jonathan Haidt believes we have bubble-wrapped childhood: cut back on recess, banned kids from walking to school alone, and filled every spare moment with structured, adult-led activities. But at the same time, we gave kids 24/7 access to social media, smartphones, and one-to-one devices—with very little guidance or boundaries.

And now, we’re seeing the results.

Rising anxiety. Fragmented attention. Lost confidence. Social disconnection.

This quote about overprotecting in the real world and underprotecting onloine hit me hard, because it puts into words what so many teachers have felt for years but couldn’t always articulate. If our kids seem less resilient, less focused, less ready to learn... maybe it’s not them. Maybe it’s the environment we’ve created.

The good news? We can change that. We ARE changing it.

More schools are rethinking tech. More parents are drawing tech boundaries. More teachers are advocating for what kids truly need. We can bring balance back.

Today’s guest is Jonathan Haidt—a social psychologist, professor at NYU’s Stern School of Business, and author of several influential books, including most recently, The Anxious Generation. You may have seen Jonathan in recent interviews talking about how smartphones and social media are impacting kids’ mental health. But I wanted to bring him on the show to go deeper—specifically from an educator’s point of view.

This conversation builds on some of the past episodes I’ve done around screen time, attention spans, and how tech is changing the way kids show up in the classroom. It’s a true back-and-forth conversation where we learn from each other, and I think it’s going to validate so much of what you’ve already sensed as a teacher.

Get the shareable article/transcript for this episode here.

Later this summer, I'll share a different perspective from someone who sees personalized AI tutoring as the future of school, and I have to admit, I find that vision just as compelling as what Haidt has shared. Stay tuned!