The mental health crisis among teenagers and the impact of social media have become pressing issues in recent times, with Oprah labeling it as one of the most critical challenges of our era. Comparing smartphone addiction to the smoking epidemic of previous generations, Oprah sat down with social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt, who wrote Anxious Generation, and Dr. Becky Kennedy, a clinical psychologist and parenting expert who authored Good Inside.
The conversation titled “The Life You Want” Class: Teen Mental Health crisis, explored the ways in which technology and social media are affecting the well-being of young people. With a focus on providing solutions and guidance for parents, educators, and teenagers themselves, the panelists aimed to shed light on this critical issue.
Larissa May, founder of Half the Story, shared her insights on addressing the challenges posed by social media and its impact on teenage mental health. Julie Scelfo, founder of Mothers Against Media Addiction also added her perspective to the discussion.
During the conversation, viewers were encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas in the comments section. By fostering a dialogue around this critical topic, Oprah hoped to inspire action and change in addressing teen mental health crisis and the dangers of social media.
Oprah’s discussion with Jonathan Haidt and Dr. Becky Kennedy highlighted some of the ways that technology has impacted society negatively. They discussed how smartphones have become an addiction for many people today and how this is affecting their mental health adversely.
Haidt’s book Anxious Generation explores some of these issues in more detail while Dr. Kennedy’s Good Inside provides practical advice for parents on how to help their children navigate these challenges.
Larissa May from Half The Story brought up some interesting points about how social media can be used positively when used responsibly while Julie Scelfo from Mothers Against Media Addiction spoke about how important it is for parents to set boundaries around screen time.
Overall Oprah’s discussion provided valuable insights into an important issue that affects many young people today. It was great to see experts from different fields come together to discuss this topic openly with each other as well as with viewers at home.
By raising awareness about these issues through thoughtful discussions like this one, we can begin to address them head-on before they become even more significant problems for future generations.
