Jonathan Haidt Blamed Tech for Teen Anxiety. Managing the Blowback Has Become a Full-Time Job.

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the approach of Jonathan Haidt, a parent, in allowing his children to have more independence and freedom as they grew up, including letting his son walk to school alone and giving his daughter a GPS-equipped watch instead of a smartphone.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Haidt's Approach to Parenting

1. What were the key decisions Haidt made regarding his children's independence and technology use?

• Haidt allowed his son to walk half a mile to school by himself in 4th grade, two years earlier than his classmates
• Haidt gave his son a hand-me-down iPhone to monitor his walk to school
• When Haidt's daughter was in 4th grade, he got her a GPS-equipped Gizmo watch instead of a smartphone, due to growing concerns about kids' phone use

2. What was Haidt's rationale behind these decisions?

• Haidt wanted to give his children more independence and freedom as they grew up
• He was concerned about the impacts of smartphone use on kids, so he opted for a GPS watch instead for his daughter