This one sentence from my conversation with Jonathan Haidt stopped me in my tracks:

“We overprotected kids in the real world and underprotected them online.”

We bubble-wrapped childhood—cut recess, banned kids from walking to school alone, and scheduled every moment with adult-led activities. All in the name of safety and preparation.

But at the same time, we handed kids smartphones, social media, and one-to-one devices—with almost no boundaries.

And now we’re watching the consequences unfold in real time:

• Rising anxiety
• Fragmented attention
• Social disconnection
• A sense that something is broken, but no one’s quite sure how to fix it

That’s what Jonathan and I talked about this week on the Truth for Teachers podcast.

Listen to the conversation here or access the transcript:

While you may have heard Jonathan Haidt speak elsewhere about his book The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, this conversation was different.

This was a true back-and-forth between a researcher and an educator. We brought our different perspectives to the table and learned from each other. And we talked specifically about what teachers can do right now, even within the constraints of testing, standards, and tech policies.

If you don’t have time to listen to the episode, here are a few key insights I think every teacher should hear ...

📌 The sharp rise in anxiety, attention issues, and behavioral challenges started before COVID—around 2012. That’s when smartphones and one-to-one devices became widespread. What we’re seeing now is the long tail of that “great rewiring” of childhood and school.

📌 The lack of positive outcomes with many ed tech tools isn't because schools have done something wrong. We didn't see the results we wanted because most of our tech is designed to capture attention, not build focus—and because these tools weren’t created by people who understand how kids actually learn.

📌 One-to-one devices and personal tech access don’t create equity anymore—they often widen gaps. Wealthier families set tighter screen boundaries. For many kids, school is now the only place where they might get a screen-free experience, which is the opposite goal we had years ago when students may not have had devices at home.

📌 The answer isn’t more tech—it’s more intentionality. That might look like reevaluating your classroom device policy, or just creating more space for focus and connection, however you can.

We didn’t solve everything in this episode. But it felt like we named the problem in a way that finally makes sense.

If you’ve noticed changes in your students that you can’t quite explain…

If you’ve felt like tech was supposed to make things easier but somehow made it worse…

This conversation can help connect some dots.

Listen to the interview here or access the transcript:

I hope this lands as encouragement.

Your concern about students' attention is valid.

And, your wariness about tech in school is not outdated and old-fashioned. It's becoming a more prevalent view among experts in child development, and is quickly gaining credibility in the debate about how we should be educating children.

Later this summer, I'll share a different perspective from someone who sees personalized AI tutoring as the future of school, and I have to admit, I find that vision just as compelling as what Haidt has shared. Stay tuned!

Angela
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