"It is school, not smartphones, that depresses teenagers" — psychologist
"It is school, not smartphones, that depresses teenagers" — psychologist
Boston College psychologist Peter Gray spoke to The Verge about his new book, "Restoring Childhood: How to Set Kids Free in the Age of Anxiety." In it, he challenges some of the ideas put forward in psychologist Jonathan Haidt's 2024 bestseller, "The Anxious Generation." Gray argues that smartphones and social media are not the primary drivers of the rise in depression and anxiety among teenagers.
The scientist analyzed extensive research on youth, digital technology, and their well-being. He notes that no reliable evidence has been found to suggest that social media or other digital technologies are significantly causing the sharp increase in teenagers' mental distress.
Gray also touched upon Haidt's book, explaining why it became a bestseller: "It sold well because people like to get confirmation of their biases."
According to Gray, the main turning point in the rise of teenage mental health problems was not the popularization of smartphones, but the introduction of the Common Core educational standards in the US around 2010.
The scientist supports this with statistical data. He states that suicide rates among teenagers in the US rose from 1950 to 1990, long before the advent of smartphones. Then, in the 1990s and 2000s, during the period when the internet and video games became popular, this rate decreased. Since 2010, however, an increase has been observed again.
Gray points to another fact as evidence: psychiatric hospitalizations of school children decrease significantly during summer vacations. According to the scientist, this indicates that the school environment and academic pressure can affect children's mental state.
According to Gray's theory, one of the main causes of today's crisis is the declining independence of children. He attributes this to factors such as shorter school recesses, increased academic pressure in studies, and parents' over-control and over-protection of their children.
The scientist evaluates the popularization of computers and the internet in the 1990s differently. In his opinion, these technologies allowed teenagers to show their abilities, feel competent, connect with like-minded people, and act with more freedom. Gray even argues that this process "partially restored childhood."
Meanwhile, Jonathan Haidt's views have prompted new measures to restrict and ban the use of smartphones in schools around the world. Gray, however, believes that such an approach could distract from the real causes of the problem.
Interestingly, Gray, Haidt, and journalist Lenore Skenazy together co-founded Let Grow, an organization that advocates for giving children more independence. However, their views on the primary causes of the teenage mental health crisis later diverged.