Jonathan Haidt

To grow up, kids *need* risky play. They need to push their own boundaries. If they are always doing safe things, they aren’t growing. Whether biking before they are fully stable, skating down a flight of stairs, climbing trees — kids need to explore the physical world in a way that expands their own definition of safety and comfort. Some of these self-led adventures will make a parent gasp. Yet if a child feels up to it, it’s generally a great thing for them to do. (And yes, wear helmets when biking, we are exploring boundaries, not being reckless.) Kids also need to push their emotional and psychological boundaries. If it’s outside: going to a nearby store on their own, walking to a friend’s house, biking around with friends if the neighborhood allows it. If it’s indoors: making cookies or completing a task on their own, without parents offering help or supervising (just being reachable for questions). This is how kids develop independence, responsibility, and a sense of comfort in the physical world. Since the 90s, #safetyism has become a prevailing parenting philosophy. The goal to eliminate any and all risk has resulted in teens engaging in far fewer risky behaviors than previous generations. Embracing a culture of safetyism has interfered with young people’s social, emotional, and intellectual development. More on this in #theanxiousgeneration, and in my previous book, The Coddling of the American Mind. My thanks to comedian @andrewsleighter for this great bit and to @ravennkramer for the video!

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex gave this moving speech this week in Geneva in front of the UN at an event to kick off the World Health Assembly in partnership with @who @drtedros. The Duke and Duchess built the Lost Screen Memorial, which many of you will remember from the LA social media trial in February, and last year in NYC. It’s a deeply moving memorial to the children and teens lost to social media harms, and a powerful call to act now to protect children online. I am thrilled to have the partnership of the Duke and Duchess, along with other aligned orgs who have been working tirelessly on the cause even before I wrote #theanxiousgeneration. Their powerful voices — as parents and as founders of Archewell Philanthropies — are pillars in the international movement to create safer digital spaces for children and families.

Hugh Grant, patron of @closescreens.openminds, speaks for all of us. Thank you for organizing this conversation in London in January!