Haidt describes exactly what parents fear: that social media and phone use are contributing to the malaise of young adults. The idea that phones are bad for younger teens has hit a crescendo — and parents are taking action. The teens have been told that phones are bad for teens, so they've convinced themselves that their friends who had phones earlier are now addicted and worse off. But there's also pushback on the overall idea that scientific evidence points to social media and phones being bad for teens' mental health. And yet, even if academic studies are lacking, it is really hard to ignore common sense about teens and phones.

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Persons: Jonatha Haidt, Haidt, they've, —, there's, Candice Odgers Organizations: Service