역대 최악 10대 행복지수☹️ 해외에서 청소년 SNS를 금지한 진짜 이유? (ft. 조너선 하이트 박사) | 📚불안한세대

Summary

The video script discusses the mental health crisis among Gen Z, attributing a significant shift in anxiety, depression, and self-harm rates to the rise of social media and smartphones post-2012. Author Jonathan Haidt emphasizes the importance of unsupervised, physical play for children and criticizes overprotective parenting and the loss of childhood due to technology. He suggests collective action to delay smartphone and social media access until age 14 and 16, respectively, to mitigate the negative impacts on young people's development.

Takeaways

• 📉 The script discusses a significant increase in mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and suicide among Gen Z, particularly starting around 2012 in English-speaking countries.
• 📱 It highlights the role of technology, specifically smartphones and social media, in the decline of mental health among young people, with platforms like Instagram being particularly harmful for girls due to constant social comparison.
• 👶 The importance of unsupervised, outdoor play for children is emphasized as crucial for their development of social skills, physical abilities, and independence.
• 🏠 The script points out that overprotective parenting and a lack of free play have contributed to the current state of childhood, which is detrimental to the well-being of Gen Z.
• 🌐 The author argues that the internet and social media are not inherently bad but have been misused, leading to a 'great rewiring of childhood' from play-based to screen-based.
• 🌍 There is a noted difference in the impact of technology on children across cultures, with individualistic societies like English-speaking countries and Scandinavia being more affected.
• 📚 The author suggests that collective action is necessary to address the issue, including setting norms for when children should have access to smartphones and social media.
• 🚫 The script recommends delaying the introduction of smartphones to children until at least age 14 and social media until at least age 16 to mitigate negative effects.
• 🤝 It encourages parents to work together to create an environment where children can thrive without the constant presence of technology, such as organizing free playgroups.
• 📉 The U-shaped curve of happiness, where young people were once the happiest, has disappeared, with young people now reporting lower levels of happiness compared to older individuals.
• 🌱 The script calls for a reevaluation of priorities in childhood development, emphasizing the need for creativity, self-supervision, and real-world experiences over supervised, structured activities.

Q & A

What is the main concern expressed about the younger generation in the script?

The main concern is the unprecedented rise in mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and suicidal tendencies among the younger generation, particularly starting around 2012, which is seen as a significant departure from the typical generational concerns about manners and lifestyle.

Why is the current situation with Gen Z considered different from previous generations?

The current situation is different because it is not just adults disapproving of the younger generation's lifestyle; it is the younger generation themselves acknowledging their addiction and the negative impact of technology on their mental health, which is a new development.

What is the 'great rewiring of childhood' mentioned in the script?

The 'great rewiring of childhood' refers to the significant shift in the way children interact, play, and develop due to the prevalence of smartphones and social media, which has led to a decrease in unsupervised, outdoor, and physical play that is crucial for their development.

How has the advent of social media impacted mental health according to the script?

The script suggests that the introduction of highly engaging social media platforms with features like the 'like' and 'share' buttons has contributed to a sharp increase in mental health issues among young people, including anxiety, depression, and self-harm.

What role does the script suggest smartphones and social media play in the decline of children's mental health?

The script implies that smartphones and social media are major contributors to the decline in children's mental health by creating a constant state of social comparison, addiction, and isolation, which has led to increased rates of depression, anxiety, and self-harm.

What is the significance of the age benchmarks of 14 and 16 mentioned in the script?

The age benchmarks of 14 and 16 are suggested as the minimum ages for children to have their first fully connected smartphone and to be introduced to image-based social media, respectively. These ages are chosen as a means to establish social norms that can help mitigate the negative impacts of technology on children's mental health.

Why does the script suggest that children need unsupervised playtime with peers?

Unsupervised playtime with peers is crucial for children as it allows them to develop social skills, conflict resolution, and independence, which are essential for their growth into self-supervised, independent members of society.

What is the script's stance on the role of technology in the development of children's creativity?

The script argues that constant adult supervision and structured, adult-guided experiences can stifle children's creativity. It suggests that unstructured, independent play is much healthier and more conducive to fostering creativity in children.

How does the script describe the collective action needed to address the issues raised?

The script calls for collective action among parents, schools, and communities to establish norms and practices that can help protect children's mental health and development. This includes agreeing on minimum ages for smartphone and social media use and organizing unsupervised playtime for children.

What cultural factors does the script suggest may offer some protection against the negative impacts of technology?

The script suggests that cultural factors such as collectivism, strong community ties, religious or conservative values, and traditions like after-school activities in groups can offer some protection against the negative impacts of technology by providing a more structured and supervised environment for children.

What is the script's view on the role of parents in navigating the challenges posed by technology?

The script emphasizes the importance of parents taking collective action and making informed decisions about their children's exposure to technology. It suggests that parents should resist the pressure to provide their children with smartphones and social media at increasingly younger ages and instead advocate for norms that prioritize children's mental health and development.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Generational Tech Impact and Mental Health

This paragraph discusses the unique challenges faced by Generation Z in comparison to previous generations, particularly concerning their relationship with technology and its impact on mental health. The speaker notes a significant rise in depression, anxiety, and suicide rates among teens starting around 2012, coinciding with the rise of social media platforms. Unlike past generations, Gen Z is self-aware of their technology addiction and its detrimental effects, leading to grassroots movements pushing back against tech companies. The speaker emphasizes the importance of this generation's self-realization and the collective concern for their well-being.

05:46

📱 Rewiring Childhood: Play and Social Media

The speaker delves into the 'great rewiring of childhood' due to screen-based activities, contrasting the benefits of unsupervised, outdoor play with the isolating effects of smartphones and video games. The paragraph highlights how the freedom and physicality of traditional play foster social skills and resilience, whereas digital gaming lacks the conflict resolution and social interaction that are crucial for child development. The speaker also discusses societal shifts that have kept children indoors and the subsequent rise of internet usage, noting the particularly harmful effects of platforms like Instagram on self-esteem and social comparison.

10:47

🌍 Cultural Impacts on Mental Health and Technology

This paragraph explores the varying impacts of technology on mental health across different cultures and societies. It points out that English-speaking and Scandinavian countries, which value independence and individualism, have seen the most significant negative effects from smartphones and social media. Conversely, collectivist cultures with strong community ties, like those in East Asia, may provide some protection against these effects. The speaker also touches on the unique situation in Korea, where high academic pressure and a lack of free play are exacerbating issues faced by Gen Z, despite the country's collectivist tendencies.

15:48

🚫 The Overprotection and Loss of Childhood

The speaker criticizes the overprotection of children and the loss of unstructured playtime, which is essential for developing independence and creativity. They argue that children need the freedom to explore and interact with their peers without constant adult supervision. The paragraph discusses the artificial experiences provided by enrichment centers as a poor substitute for the organic learning that comes from unsupervised play. The speaker calls for a collective effort to change societal norms around technology use and to prioritize children's mental well-being over academic achievement.

20:49

📉 The Collective Action Trap and Solutions

The final paragraph addresses the 'collective action trap' where societal expectations push parents to provide their children with smartphones and social media access at increasingly younger ages. The speaker suggests that clear, achievable norms are needed to combat this trend and proposes that children should not have fully connected smartphones until age 14 and should stay off image-based social media until at least 16. They emphasize the importance of collective action among parents, schools, and communities to establish and uphold these norms, providing examples of how this is being done in various parts of the world.

Keywords

💡Social Media

Social media refers to digital platforms that enable users to create and share content or participate in social networking. In the video, it is discussed as a potential contributor to increased rates of anxiety, depression, and self-harm among Gen Z, particularly highlighting platforms like Facebook and Instagram. The script mentions how social media can create a sense of addiction and a negative impact on mental health, especially when it comes to self-image and social comparison.

💡Gen Z

Gen Z, short for Generation Z, typically refers to individuals born between the mid-1990s and the early 2010s. The video discusses the unique challenges faced by this generation, including high rates of mental health issues, which the speaker attributes to factors such as social media use and a shift away from play-based childhoods. The script emphasizes that the problems faced by Gen Z are distinct from those of previous generations.

💡Mental Health

Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being. The video script raises concerns about a significant decline in mental health among Gen Z, with increased rates of depression, anxiety, and self-harm. The discussion suggests that the rise in these issues correlates with the rise of social media and the impact of technology on young people's lives.

💡Collective Action Trap

A collective action trap is a situation where individual and collective interests conflict, and individual attempts to act in their self-interest inadvertently lead to a worse outcome for everyone. In the context of the video, the term is used to describe the phenomenon where parents feel compelled to provide their children with smartphones earlier due to societal pressures, despite the potential negative effects on the children's mental health.

💡Anxious Generation

The term 'Anxious Generation' is likely a reference to the book by the speaker, which explores the impact of social media and technology on the mental health of young people. It is used in the script to discuss the generational differences in how technology is affecting mental well-being and the need for societal change to address these issues.

💡Play-Based Childhood

A play-based childhood emphasizes the importance of play and unstructured activities in a child's development. The video argues that such childhoods are essential for developing social skills, physical abilities, and independence. The script contrasts this with the current trend towards screen-based activities, which it suggests are detrimental to children's development.

💡Screen Time

Screen time refers to the amount of time spent looking at a screen, typically associated with electronic devices like smartphones, tablets, and computers. The video script suggests that excessive screen time, particularly with social media and video games, is linked to negative mental health outcomes for Gen Z.

💡Overprotection

Overprotection is the act of being excessively cautious or vigilant in safeguarding someone, often to the point of hindering their autonomy or development. In the video, overprotection is criticized as a factor that has led to a lack of independence and resilience among Gen Z, contributing to higher rates of anxiety and depression.

💡Independent Play

Independent play is when children engage in activities without adult supervision, allowing them to develop problem-solving skills, social interactions, and self-reliance. The script argues that independent play is crucial for healthy child development and has been negatively impacted by the rise of screen-based activities and overprotective parenting.

💡Smartphones

Smartphones are mobile phones with advanced features and internet capabilities. The video discusses the impact of smartphones on children, suggesting that they should not be introduced to children until the age of 14 at the earliest. The script indicates that the ubiquity of smartphones has contributed to a decrease in mental health among young people.

💡Social Comparison

Social comparison is the process by which individuals evaluate themselves in relation to others, often through social media. The video script points out that platforms like Instagram can exacerbate feelings of inadequacy and contribute to mental health issues, particularly among girls.

Highlights

Every generation thinks the one behind it lacks its virtues, but Gen Z's mental health issues are unprecedented.

From 2010 to 2015, there was a sharp increase in anxiety, depression, and suicide rates among teenagers.

The rise of smartphones and social media around 2012 coincided with the decline in mental health.

Super viral social media features like the like button and retweet button emerged around 2009, making platforms more engaging.

Front-facing cameras and apps like Instagram, launched in 2010, have exacerbated social comparison and mental health issues, especially for girls.

There has been a significant increase in depression and anxiety among boys, but the trend started slightly earlier than for girls.

The 'great rewiring of childhood' involves a shift from play-based to screen-based childhood, significantly affecting children's development.

Outdoor play and unsupervised group activities are crucial for children's physical and social development.

Fear of child abduction and the advent of the internet led to increased indoor activity and screen time for children.

Millennials, who grew up with early internet, have relatively good mental health compared to Gen Z.

High-speed internet and social media advancements since 2010 have led to more profound impacts on mental health.

Countries with high independence and individualism, like English-speaking and Scandinavian countries, have seen the most damage from smartphones and social media.

Religious and conservative families have more protections against the negative impacts of social media on children.

In Korea, extreme academic pressure and lack of unstructured playtime have harmed children's mental health.

Collective action among parents is necessary to delay giving children smartphones and access to social media.

Schools in St. Louis, Missouri, have collectively decided to go phone-free, showing an effective example of collective action.

Transcripts

[Music]

for social

media anxious generation

Facebook Instagram

Jan

[Music]

some people who read your book um might

say hey every generation before said

that next generation was doomed our uh

baby boomer parents didn't understand

what we were doing as gen xers but you

insist that this time it's different

like some people say they are graffities

in like Egyptian tomb saying kids these

days have no manners or no sense but you

said that this time the way you're

worried about the Gen Z is different

than the way that every other generation

was worried about the Next Generation

what change

that's a perfectly good point every

generation thinks the one behind it

lacks its virtues but saying they have

no manners they don't live the way we do

we don't approve of the way they live is

very different from saying they are

killing themselves at extraordinary

rates they are checking into hospitals

at extraordinary rates they are

miserable that's new in at least in the

in the United States Canada Britain

Australia in the English speaking

countries it began right around 2012 I

mean 2010 to 2015 is really the key

period so this is not just adults decid

that kids lacked virtues this is

teenagers became anxious depressed and

suicidal at gigantic rates between 2010

and 2015 that's the first difference the

second difference is previously the

Young Generation rejected the insult or

they would say no we you know no we

don't or they would say with regard to

technology they' say no we love our

television we love our comic books

because often part of the critique is

the Young Generation is disrespectful

and lazy because of their technology

because all they do is listen to the

radio or all they do is watch TV so

there's always a focus on the technology

that the kids are using but this is the

first time when the kids themselves are

saying we're addicted we we're trapped

we see that this is damaging us there

are dozens of groups created by members

of gen Z if listeners if you read

English if you go to anxious

generation.com we have dozens of

organizations of parents that are

organizing and also of young people that

are organizing to put pressure on the

tech companies so this is very different

this is not just the usual moral Panic

this is that health of the millennial

generation was actually pretty good if

you look at the graphs of all the you

know depression anxiety self harm all

those things if anything things got a

little better the numbers went down a

little bit from the 1990s to 2010 even

to 2011 in 2011 there's no sign of a

problem all of a sudden in 2012 it's

like someone flipped a light switch and

the girls go way up they very very sharp

increase in depression anxiety self harm

the boys it's a little more gradual it

starts a little before 2012 but a little

and then it goes up a little faster so

the boys are also more depressed and

anxious but this has never happened

before there's never been such a sharp

turning point where in in the space of a

couple of years mental health collapsed

this is very different from any previous

one great rewiring of

childhood for

play based

childhood based childhood screen based

childhood Jonathan

the great rewiring of

childhood so children need to play and

they need to play a lot and the best

kind of play is when children play

together with no adult because then

there are conflicts and the children

learn to work out the conflicts without

an adult stepping in saying no you know

that wasn't fair and the best kind of

play is outdoors and physical children

are physical creatures they need to

develop muscular control they need to

develop social skills eye contact they

need to develop relationship repair

skills how do you apologize especially

boys like to get together to practice

War girls like to get together to bond

they do things more in pairs um they

talk they gossip more they want to know

more about social relationships so all

of that is healthy what happens when

everyone gets their own smartphone and

also the the highpe video games for the

boy the uh uh you know multiplayer video

games for the boys what happens these

things are so exciting the video games

are so amazing boys will not want to do

that all the time they're not going to

get together in play and you might say

well you know but they're playing online

it's not the same it's not physical

they're just sitting in a chair and

there is no dispute resolution the game

company takes care of everything so you

never get the arguments about no that

wasn't fair no that was out of bounds no

that was overtime you know there's no

argument because the the program takes

care of everything so it's extremely

important that kids play in groups

unsupervised and in America in the 1990s

we freaked out about child abduction

about sexual abuse we thought the

outside world is too dangerous and it

wasn't crime was actually dropping but

we said it's too dangerous let's keep

our kids in and at the same time the

internet arrived and so like we're going

to keep our kids in and look computers

and the internet and the kids like it

and they're learning about computers and

that'll be good for their job prospects

so the Millennials B 1981 through

1995 in the US the lines might be

different in Korea the millennial

generation grew up with the early

internet and they were fine their mental

health is fine and they're productive

they they travel the world they start

companies but things really really

changed uh in around 2010 Because the

earli Internet was mostly just you put

up information you find information

people can write blogs but once we get

super viral social media that's 2009 you

get the like button the retweet button

the share button everything that was

about super viral Newsfeed can I get a

million people to watch this so social

media gets much more engaging and it

tries to grab people and really keep

them in we get the front-facing camera

in 2010 on both the iPhone and on the

Samsung

we get high-speed internet and we get

Instagram that's very important

Instagram seems to really hurt girls the

constant social comparison so they're

getting constant social comparison about

their beauty their eyes their face their

hair their breasts everything constant

so that was just the background as to

what happened and that's what I call the

great rewiring of childhood from 2010 to

2015 childhood completely changed in all

the English speaking countries the same

thing happened at the same time that is

levels of anxiety depression self harm

and suicide Rose very rapidly in the

early 2010s

in northern Europe too in Scandinavia

same thing happened in Eastern Europe

mental health is actually maybe a little

better in general in the developing

world people are getting happier because

they're getting richer I mean when a

country goes from poverty and no

internet to internet and connected and

joining the World Market and wealth is

rising they tend to get happier so some

people say oh you know height is wrong

because look here are some countries

where they have smartphones but the kids

are getting happier well guess what if

you look at every country some countries

are going up some countries are going

down for economic reasons and other

things within every country if the

country is going up it's the old people

who are going up there used to be what's

called a U-shaped curve of Happiness

where the happiest people are the young

are teenagers and people in their 20s

middle-aged people are the least happy

old people are also much happier that's

what's been through all over the world

for a long time until 2015 we have some

posts on my substack by an economist

named Danny blanchflower he shows that

the U-shaped curve of happiness has

disappeared all over the world because

the young people have dropped now

sometimes in poor countries everyone is

going up but the young people maybe

aren't going up at all and the old

people are going up so there are

variations around the world but you

always find as far as I know in all just

about all countries that young people

compared to older people are are doing

worse than relative to older people so

what we found this is work I did with

Zack Rous who's my main researcher what

we found we look around the world is

that the most damage was done by

smartphones and social media in the

countries that are most independent and

individualistic that's the English

speaking countries and the Scandinavian

countries lots of Freedom not strong

ties to community Freedom used to be

good but when kids are not rooted in a

community the and then social media

comes along and it just washes them away

and so it's kids who are liberal they're

on the left and or secular meaning they

no religion those are the kids who got

completely washed out to sea they're in

terrible shape whereas if you look at

children in families that are religious

and or conservative they're much more

Bound in many more restrictions they

have to go to church they have to speak

respectfully to their grandparents

they're more East Asian in a sense more

similar to a Confucian culture as I said

to you uh my wife is korean-american my

family we spent about three weeks in

Korea in 2015 I saw many things about

Korean culture and so I think this might

explain why in Korea you have some of

the most unhappy children in the world

and that's been true for decades but

when smartphones and social media came

in in it's not clear that that made it

so much worse cuz they were already

having no childhood so that's why I

think Korea is different the fact that

you are more collectivist more connected

actually gives you some your kids some

protection so let's say there's one

thing about Korea which I think is

really destructive and you need to

change and that is the fact that your

children do not get a human childhood

and this was true this began to be true

I guess in the 80s or 90s and the idea

of a Hagan the idea that after a long

and hard school day you go to more

school to the the point where you don't

get enough sleep this is insanity and

this is harming your children even if

the internet never existed and it seems

to me that Korea is the worst in the

world on this you do not let your

children have play you do not let them

have childhood we're damaging gen Z

worldwide because we have overprotected

them in the real world and

underpredicting them in the real world

give them childhood give them play now

in K you also have the problem that

there are not many kids around when I

was growing up most families had two

three or four children so were children

in the neighborhood whereas in Korea you

have about the lowest birth rate in the

world very few people have a sibling

there aren't a lot of kids to play with

so especially if you have only one child

it's very important that you find ways

for your child to have regular time with

other children unsupervised it's very

important that you not watch over the

kids I mean when they're two three and

four yes of course you should watch over

them but by the time they're seven eight

n give them Independence to play with

other kids but what a lot of Korean

parents do because they think their kids

need experience is to send them to the

centers where somebody with a fancy

degree in child psychology guide them

through a certain type of experience so

uh one example because Korea so

organized and because K have no

experience uh with agriculture they set

up a fake carrot Farm in an indoor space

and under other supervision they

harvested carrot for that session which

then the staff replanted for the next

group to harvest right just in my

apartment complex there's like

children's Center children's capoa

Children's musical Enrichment Center

kids are learning to play with native

English speakers since they were two

three years old so they grew up

bilingual there and a lot of Korean

parents say isn't this better when the

educated child psychologist is you know

guiding my child through development is

that better than what we had because

Korea was poor all we had was riding

around on Ricky bicycles around the

neighborhood in groups and what you're

saying is that riding around on Ricky

bisos oh so much better in groups is

better so much better so much better

kids yeah because they're being

supervised by adults the rest of the day

all day in school adults are telling

them what to do they're adults watching

them the job of a parent is to work him

or herself out of a job children need to

learn to become self-supervised

independent functioning members of

society and if you're always supervising

them all the way up to age 14 15 16 when

are they going to learn this the peak

period to learn this you see this all

over the world you don't see

four-year-olds running around

unsupervised but by seven everywhere

they are at age seven kids in many

societies they can take they can take a

goat down to the river to to get water

at age seven is the age of

responsibility around the world seven or

eight is when we need to be giving kids

Independence they're being Guided by

adults all day long in school and guided

by their overprotective parents all

evening long it is so much better for

them to be out riding bicycles falling

down on the bicycles throwing sticks at

each other because they're making

they're pretending to play war that is

so much healthier that's what kids need

they do not need more fake adult guided

experiences find ways to get kids

together you know seven eight-year-old

kids just give them a bunch of boxes and

the basement they'll they'll figure out

something fun to do and that's the

creativity do you want your kids to be

more creative this was a big issue when

I was in Korea there was a real effort

to increase creativity the worst thing

you can do for creativity is keep them

supervised by adults all the time it

just kills creativity I read your book

coddling of the American mind when it

came out and it helped me understand a

lot of things that were going on on the

internet at that time and then I uh

received uh your book The anxious

generation from your Korean publisher

and I read it and it just made me shter

because it's frightening to think about

the kind of childhood they would have

when me and my Korean friends get

together we talk about when is the right

time to give our kids their first cell

phone and when is the right time to get

them start using um internet and in your

book you're pretty categorical about the

age right you say 14 years uh minimum

for their first fully connected

smartphone and 16 years minimum before

they are on image based social media and

I'm sure a lot of people listening are

wondering why an eminent psychologist

would pick 14 and 16 as The Benchmark

age for introducing children to or

adolescent to to the online world so I

picked those for this reason what we

have is a giant Collective action trap

where everybody has to give their kid a

phone earlier and earlier because

everybody else did and so my goal was

not to say what is if we just look at

the brain development if we just look at

Health what's the optimal age if we did

that we'd say 18 for a smartphone and 21

or 24 for social media social media is

completely inappropriate for children I

mean in America we have what are called

x-rated movies like hard you know the

people having sex we've long had a

consensus that children should not be

allowed into those movies and once you

give your kid a phone and social media

they're going to find hardcore

pornography they're going to find scenes

of extraordinary violence people being

run over by cars people being punched in

the face people having their heads

chopped off I mean horrible things

they're going to see but my goal was not

to say what is the safe age because as

you said even we adults you know life

online does bad things to us but we

think adults are old enough they can

make their choices I pick those ages

because we need clear ages that are

achievable as a social norm and so the

world is now expecting everyone to have

a smartphone in order to navigate the

world I think this is even more true in

Korea as it is in Scandinavia you kind

of expect everyone has a smartphone even

children so uh so my goal was let's pick

let's pick the latest age where there's

a possibility people will really be able

to do it and if we delayed smartphones

till 16 or 18 people would say this is

impossible in part because I want kids

out in the world I want kids exploring

with no parents and so it's totally fine

with me for them to get a flip phone or

a you know a basic phone or a light

phone one of these phones that just all

it does is texting and call fall that

you can give your kid as soon as you let

them out give them some Independence but

14 in the United States 14 happens to be

when we transition from middle school to

high school and as a social psychologist

I'm thinking about groups and I'm

thinking about how at least Middle

School is that's when the most damage is

done that's early puberty and we really

have to get it entirely out of middle

school so in Korea I think the rule

should be no smartphone before uh high

school so it's very important to have a

norm because the whole school has to be

set up so that kids don't have to have a

smartphone and for social media you know

I think the age should be 18 because

what children see is completely

inappropriate for minors for children

but if I were to say 18 there's no way

we would get it in the United States at

16 you're driving a car you're out in

the world uh it would not be possible to

delay all the way till 18 kids are on

social media by around 11 something like

that let's just raise it from 11 to 14

to 16 let's let them get most of the way

through through puberty so that's why I

chose those ages a lot of my friends are

beginning to have children but we talk

about this we talk about okay let's not

send our kids to hwan let's not give

them cell phone and everybody says this

until their kids are about four right

and then when they're about five they

see everybody else doing it and then

they cave right so that's that's the

collective action that's exactly it

that's the problem let's say I want to

let my kid play outside and I go to the

playground and there's nobody at the

playground my son or daughter say hey

there's nobody at the playground all my

friends are on WhatsApp or SnapChat or

whatever give me a phone so I can play

with my friends what do I do because it

seems if the entire Society works this

way what can I do as a parent or an

individual as an adult so our children

get back the child that we had what can

you do as a lone parent what can you do

as one family especially in an intense

culture like Korea very little but

that's my point that's my point that's

why you're so stuck all of us are

happened here happened everywhere as a

lone parent

this is the Trap and so the only way out

of the Trap is collective action uh you

live in an apartment building right how

many other children you know within a

few years are in the same building or

the same area probably 200 or so oh

great all right this is what's happening

in America every parents group every

WhatsApp group every group in which

mothers especially but also fathers

every group every school in which

parents are con connecting they're all

saying hey let's read the anxious

generation together and they all read

the book and the book scares the hell

out of them but it also shows them the

exit here's how you get out and so all

and I just got word today in St Louis

Missouri a big city in America all the

schools got together like all 30 schools

they all got together they read the book

and they said we are going phone free we

are no longer going to let children take

their phones into class they have to

check it in a in a locked bag or in a

locker in the morning this is collective

action now no parent can say they're the

only because no kid has a phone in

school and it would be the same thing

with free play if you get together with

you know you put up a sign in your

building hey you know do you have

parents do you have children between the

ages of six and 12 you know come on this

WhatsApp group or whatever we are

arranging free play for our kids every

Friday afternoon on Fridays nobody has

Hogan nobody has piano lessons and

they're going to meet on the playground

or they're going to meet in apartment

16b uh to start but they can move to

your apartment my they can roam around

with without supervision it's very

important that they do not have

supervision so that's the way out you

have to act together so don't say try to

wait as long as possible to give your

kid don't say that because when when is

as long as possible everybody ends up at

4 try to say let's all agree we're not

going to give our kids smartphones until

14 we're not going to let them get

social media accounts until 16 let's all

agree if you put out a clear Norm now

you have a place for parents to aim for

and especially once they read the book

they're going to do it this is happening

all over the world not just in America

not just in English speaking countries I

just learned yesterday there's a new

group in Brazil of parents who are doing

this Germany Australia it's happening

all over the Western World I don't know

any in East Asia yet but look one thing

I know about a couple of things about

Korea and Korean culture Koreans are

very very hardworking and very creative

in addressing major problems so what I'm

saying is if you get a national

consensus that this is a problem if you

get a national consensus that your kids

are Mis able and they're growing up less

creative because of this and you say

this is a matter of national interest of

national competition Korea is obviously

going down in terms of your demographics

you're going to have fewer and fewer

Koreans you need to really increase your

vitality and Korea has the most vital

exciting interesting culture of East

Asia so if you make this a matter of

national pride that you need your kids

to grow up creative and dynamic I think

you're going to solve this but the trick

the key is you have to solve it

collectively you can't just expect indiv

ual parents to break out on their

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own

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