Did social media break a generation — or just change it?

What It Covers

TED Radio Hour examines whether social media has harmed an entire generation, featuring social psychologist Jonathan Haidt's case for banning platforms for under-16s, a Gen Z counter-perspective from Columbia freshman Maximilian Milovidov, and author Catherine Price's framework for reclaiming genuine fun from screen-based entertainment.

Key Questions Answered

• •Phone-Free Schools Implementation: Haidt's research shows full-day phone bans — not just classroom restrictions — produce measurably better social outcomes. 35 US states now have phone-free school laws. When enforced school-wide, teachers consistently report spontaneous hallway laughter returning, indicating restored peer-to-peer social interaction during breaks and lunch periods.
• •Australia's Age-Verification Model: Australia's under-16 social media ban, effective December 2025, places compliance responsibility on platforms rather than parents. All 10 major platforms complied, closing 5 million accounts linked to 2.5 million underage Australians. VPN workarounds surged initially but declined because checking social media 30 times daily through a VPN creates enough friction to deter use.
• •Meta's Internal Research as Evidence: Haidt's team compiled 31 Meta-conducted studies at metainternalresearch.org showing direct harm to users. Meta even ran a randomized controlled trial finding that users who stopped using Facebook and Instagram for one week reported reduced depression — evidence the company holds but does not publicize while opposing regulatory changes.
• •True Fun Framework: Catherine Price defines genuine fun as the simultaneous presence of three states — playfulness, connection, and flow. Scrolling social media produces none of these. To engineer more real fun, identify personal "fun magnets" — specific people, places, and activities that reliably generate all three states — and schedule them deliberately into limited leisure time.
• •AI Attachment Hacking Risk: Haidt warns AI companions pose a greater threat than social media by disrupting childhood attachment formation. While social media hijacked attention, AI chatbots that simulate friendship interfere with the serve-and-return interactions children need to build internal working models of trust. His proposed fifth norm: no AI companions for minors, regardless of platform framing.