47. Kids, Phones, and Mental Health with Kate Northrup

Are our children losing their connection to personal power and mental well-being due to the pervasive use of phones?In this deeply personal episode of the Plenty Podcast, I dive into the impact of phones and social media on children’s mental health and development. Inspired by a recent compelling article in The Atlantic, I talk about my views on the disturbing trends in adolescent mental health linked to screen time. I share my practices to limit screen exposure and call for community agreements and support to delay phone and social media use among children. I encourage the importance of unsupervised outdoor play and the need for myself and all parents to regulate their nervous systems to support their children’s optimal development.Despite today’s cultural narrative, this episode will have you thinking about your own kids and phones. Let’s dive in.“If given the option to get off, the kids all wanted to get off, but they didn’t feel like they could because of the disconnection and social ostracism of not being on there.” – Kate NorthrupResources:End the Phone-Based Childhood Now by Jonathan Haidt, The AtlanticThe Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan HaidtThe Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure by Jonathan HaidtConnect with Kate:WebsiteInstagram