Jonathan Haidt: Kids always had play-based childhoods, but we gradually let that fade away because of our growing fears of kidnapping and other threats in the 1980s and 1990s. If they have the phones, they will be texting during class, and they will be focused on their phones. If they don’t have phones, they will listen to their teachers and spend time with other kids. Most middle school kids are entirely enmeshed in smartphones and social media. Because kids are somewhat sex-segregated online (they interact less with kids of the opposite sex), the situation is unconducive to heterosexual dating and marriage.

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Persons: Jonathan Haidt, ”, Haidt, Dave Cicirelli, Thomas Cooley, New York University’s Leonard N, Jayne Riew, You’ve, we’re, There’s, you’ve, they’re, We’re, they’ve, Matt Villano Organizations: CNN —, Penguin Press, American Psychological Association, New York, Stern School of Business, CNN, Jayne Riew CNN, YouTube, Getty, Meta Locations: United States, America, American, Northern California, whalehead.com