Children Who Thrive: Step Away From the Screen

As a parent, you're likely aware of the increasing concerns surrounding children and their use of digital devices. If you're not yet worried, psychologist Jonathan Haidt believes you should be.

Author of the bestselling book The Anxious Generation, Haidt presents his argument backed by solid research and statistics: the introduction of the smartphone has a causal relationship with the epidemic in adolescent mental illness. Further, he states, a phone-based childhood results in a vast reduction of time spent in free and independent play, the primary drive that helps children and youth develop, mature and stay emotionally well.

His solution? To set stricter boundaries for children and youth in the digital world while relaxing them in the real world, particularly when it comes to play.

Haidt understands that children develop their ideas, skills and independence when they step away from screens and immerse themselves in worlds of their own creation, where adults are minimally involved. By stepping back, adults can allow their children to experience boredom, the gateway to creativity (please see my article from last week’s Howl on this topic.)

A leader in the tech “counter-revolution,” Haidt’s proposal for reform is garnering attention from government, school administration, and mental health experts in the US and around the world. He swings for the fences in his proposal that places strict and conservative age limits on smartphone use and social media access, requires that phones be locked away during school time, and calls for increased independence, play and responsibility in the offline world.

In January, we’ll dive deeper into Jonathan Haidt’s compelling research and recommendations by selecting The Anxious Generation as our 2025 Parents Book Club pick: more information on the book club will be shared in December. In the meantime, whether your child is a preschooler or preteen, here are some questions to consider about ensuring a healthy balance of digital activity and real-world play.

By their very nature, children are wired to explore, take risks and develop their independence through free play. With a trend of increasing and unsupervised screen time, we see a deficit of parental presence in a world that needs to be mediated and guided by adults, and growing interference in the world of free exploration and play, led by children. When we understand the purpose of play and its job in child development, we can invite it to exist—and then stand to the side to watch the magic unfold.