(PatriotWise.com) — Renowned New York University business professor Jonathan Haidt, known for his outspoken criticisms of cancel culture, has now taken aim at smartphones. Haidt regularly discusses various societal issues through interviews and his books, which many Americans have used to change their negative habits and improve their well-being. Haidt has written about how to convince people to change their mindset, how to change your mindset, and how to change the mentality of a child addicted to technology like the smartphone.
Haidt’s last book, “The Coddling of the American Mind,” extensively examines cancel culture and its detrimental effect on American citizens. The book focuses primarily on cancel culture’s impact on society and how the social justice movement has directly contributed to increased politicization and political tension. Haidt’s work quickly gained a cult following, with some high-ranking tech executives using the professor’s outspoken approach to cancel culture and his books to adjust their business operations and alter how they interact with customers.
One such tech executive is the former COO of Shopify, a popular online business that allows people to buy and sell merchandise, Toby Shannan. Shannan shared an anecdote about Haidt with the New York Times, discussing how the business professor helped him during a difficult time in 2016. Shannan said that during the 2016 presidential election, he wasn’t sure if Shopify could sell merchandise catering to conservative voters. After contacting Haidt several times, Shannan eventually allowed conservative merchants on the platform, with limitations on the types of products they could sell.
While Haidt reached national fame after releasing his book about cancel culture, the renowned educator shifted his attention to smartphone technology and its potentially harmful effects on children through a new book titled “The Anxious Generation.” Haidt claims that smartphone overuse has resulted in an increased rate of depression among American children and advocates for parents to limit their children’s access to smartphones. Haidt also said parents should encourage their children to spend more time outside interacting with their peers for social development.
Haidt also outlines a set of restrictions parents should impose on their children regarding smartphone access. According to Haidt, parents shouldn’t buy their children a phone until they reach high school. Additionally, Haidt said that parents should ban social media until their children reach 16 years old. Haidt also advocated that legislatures ban phones from public schools to avoid distractions. While Haidt acknowledged that smartphone access reform would take years, he hopes legislatures could begin imposing restrictions by 2025.
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