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8 SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | MAY 2026 By Annette Hillis, Resident With every generation, young parents have feared the newest mass media invention and the harmful effects its overuse and consumption would have on their children. The youth of the 1930s and 1940s gave their rapt attention to radio programs and were told extreme listening habits would rot their brains and cause untoward laziness. Baby Boomers were hopelessly devoted to television shows but were also warned about excessive violence and being distracted from homework. Today, however, the countless hours young people spend on their computer and smartphone screens raise legitimate concerns that are far more serious than the routine warnings of the past. As children from the 1950s and 1960s, we grew up in a play-based world marked by outdoor activities and face-to-face friendships. We rode our bikes around the neighborhood, explored nearby parks and fields, and didn't come back into the house until the streetlights came on. These kinds of actions and interactions fostered resilience, independence, and healthy socialization skills. In contrast, Jonathan Haidt, an American social psychologist at NYU and author of the 2024 book, e Anxious Generation, argues that the advent of smartphones and social media has radically changed childhood as we once knew it. This immutable transformation began around 2010, when these devices and platforms became widely adopted. A surge in anxiety and depression among our youth started to occur, teen suicide rates began to increase, and emergency visits for self-harm escalated. According to his research, young girls tend to be highly affected due to social media's obsession with their appearance, popularity, and peer group affiliation. Haidt argues that smartphones have turned play-based childhoods into phone-based ones. Because addictive algorithms maximize user engagement, the average teen spends seven to nine hours per day on a screen and checks their phone hundreds of times within that same period. Creative hobbies and essential sleep time can often be ignored. Unfortunately, when comparing radio and TV to today's technology, Haidt states that the medium children are now exposed to is a triple threat: it's interactive, portable, and socially immersive - an extremely dangerous and irresistible combination. Another premise from the book is that modern parents often protect children too much in the real world, while ironically leaving them perilously exposed online. "Helicopter parents" unintentionally weaken kids' ability to handle life. As with our upbringing, children need more unsupervised play time to foster independence, confidence, and judgment, Haidt submits. What can seniors do to help their loved ones? Try suggesting the delay of phone ownership until 14 and social media accounts until 16. Support phone-free schools. During visits, reintroduce real- world, hands-on activities, share stories of your independent play- based childhood, create "screen-light" or "screen-free" time, and offer genuine listening support. The latter is especially powerful since digital life fragments attention. Have unhurried conversations, make eye contact, and give the gift of helping the younger generation feel seen and valued. We may be among the best guides to showing them that life does indeed exist beyond screens. Update: In a 2026 landmark, precedent-making decision, a Los Angeles jury found that Meta and YouTube negligently designed platforms with addictive features — such as endless scrolling and autoplay — holding them liable for harm and awarding damages to a young user. E K K A A R O

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