You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day.

I'm your host, Elise Hume.

What's all that screen time actually doing to your child's ability to pay attention and connect with others?

Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt studies the impact of digital technology on children.

And he says that social media and AI aren't just distractions.

They're rewiring developing brains, fragmenting attention,

and crowding out the real-world connection children need in order to flourish.

Let's see what we can see about technology and childhood.

If we start with this premise that human beings are ultra-social creatures with deep needs for community and communion.

Jonathan's work has helped spark one of the most urgent and contested debates in public health.

Now he's here to share three principles of techno-scepticism to help parents and policy makers

protect growing minds because the task, he says, is to apply the same skepticism that many have

about social media to AI, not by rejecting technology, but by demanding that tech companies

show their proof their products are safe before we hand them to our kids.

So what on earth do we do about the robot teachers and all of the other future waves of technology

that are going to push their way into childhood without adequate safety testing?

Technoskepticism means that from now on, we put the burden of proof on them.

We make them prove that their products are safe

before they push them out into the world.

And stick around after his talk

for a brief Q&A with Sal Khan, Ted's Vision Steward,

and the CEO of Khan Academy.

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