Bill Gates isn't sure he would've become a billionaire if he'd grown up like kids today, dealing with the distractions of smartphones and social media.
Gates, the co-founder and ex-CEO of Microsoft, helped make computers and the internet ubiquitous.
Constant use of smartphones and social media can also negatively affect young people's memory, ability to concentrate and attention spans, research shows.
Gates touted his "play-based childhood" — which inspires creative thinking, research shows — over the "phone-based childhood" that many kids today experience, according to Haidt's book.
"Our attention spans are like muscles, and the non-stop interruptions and addictive nature of social media make it incredibly difficult for them to develop," Gates wrote.
Persons:
Bill Gates isn't, he'd, Gates, misbehaving —, Jonathan Haidt, Gen Zers
Organizations:
Microsoft, New York University