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The great rewiring of childhood in which the phone-based childhood replaced the play-based childhood is the major cause of the international epidemic of adolescent mental illness.

The release of the iPhone in 2007 profoundly transformed how we interact and experience the

world, and so marked the dawn of a new era in human history.

Today most people are constantly within arm's reach of their phone, and a significant

portion of their waking, and a significant portion

of their waking hours are devoted to using these devices.

Social media apps are among the most heavily used, with some people spending multiple

hours a day on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok.

Some believe this smartphone social media ecosystem has improved our quality of life as

it provides nearly

limitless entertainment, makes it easier to communicate and connect with other people, creates

business opportunities, and facilitates the sharing and consuming of information, pictures,

and videos.

Yet this ecosystem also has a dark side.

It is addictive and it calls forth the superficial, hostile,

and narcissistic side of humanity. But perhaps worst of all, it is destroying the mental health

of young people. In this video, drawing from the American sociologist Jonathan Heights

2024 book The Anxious Generation, how the great rewiring of childhood is causing

an epidemic of mental illness, we explore why social media causes anxiety and depression

in children and teens, and why smartphone and tablet use has radically changed the nature

of childhood for the worst.

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