The Verge
What if social media isn’t hurting kids?
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist, published The Anxious Generation in 2024, a New York Times bestseller that attributed the decline in teen mental health since 2010 primarily to increased social media and smartphone use. The book became widely cited in discussions about social media's effects on young people. The article examines alternative explanations for teen mental health trends.
