In conversation with Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation

In conversation with Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation

From Left To Their Own Devices by Toronto Star

April 7, 2026 · 59 min · Season 1

About this episode

This episode features a conversation with Jonathan Haidt and Ava Smithing about the implications of social media on children and the ongoing policy changes regarding digital access for minors.

The last few months have been a turning point. In late March, New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez won his case against Meta, with a jury finding that Facebook and Instagram's parent company had engaged in "unconscionable" trade practices targeting children. Days later, a California jury ruled that Meta and YouTube had addicted a young girl to their platforms. And Australia is now four months into its landmark social media ban for kids under 16. At the center of this movement is social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, whose New York Times bestseller The Anxious Generation laid out the case for a phone-free childhood. What once read as provocation is now policy: France and Malaysia have passed their own bans, and Canada and the US are weighing similar moves. But many researchers — and young people themselves — aren't convinced. Ava Smithing argues that social media companies need to reimagine their business models entirely, not just lock kids out. In this live conversation from Columbia University's Bollinger Forum, Haidt and Smithing meet across the generational and ideological divide. They dig into Haidt's "Great Rewiring" theory, the toll of "attentional destruction," and the…

People in this episode

Host: Toronto Star

Guests: Jonathan Haidt, Ava Smithing

Topics covered

  • social media
  • child protection
  • digital culture
  • psychology
  • policy changes
  • generational divide

Keywords

  • social media ban
  • children
  • digital addiction
  • Great Rewiring
  • attentional destruction
  • Gen Z
  • policy
  • mental health

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Meta, YouTube, Columbia University

Books & works: The Anxious Generation

Places: New Mexico, California, France, Malaysia, Canada, US

More episodes of Left To Their Own Devices

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Left To Their Own Devices podcast page.