Ep. 31 - Smartphones and Social Media: The Emotional Crisis Affecting Young People Today

The Curious Incident Podcast

NYC Special Education Attorney Adam Dayan sits down with Yoni Schwab, Clinical Psychologist and Assistant Head of School at The Shefa School, to explore the impact of smartphones and social media on today's youth. They delve into how excessive screen time is displacing crucial activities for healthy child development, affecting attention spans, self-esteem, social skills, and even sleep patterns. Yoni and Adam highlight insights from Jonathan Haidt's recent book, The Anxious Generation, which examines how "The Great Rewiring of Childhood" is contributing to a surge in mental health issues beginning in early childhood into adulthood. They further address the significant increase in depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide rates that began in the early 2010s, after a long period of stability or improvement.