Teen Time on Screens

Since it was published two years ago, Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation has made, we believe, a huge contribution by sounding the alarm on teen screen time.

Haidt’s been active endorsing solutions: parents shouldn’t permit smartphones until age 14; schools should ban phones from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and policymakers should limit social media consumption out of school—during what we call “3 p.m. to 3 a.m.”

Haidt’s work has led to action. While kids overwhelmingly continue to get phones before age 14, the school bans have taken hold in large numbers, and some governments have enacted laws. Australia took the lead in December 2025, launching a law restricting the use of social media by children under 16. Indonesia and Brazil soon followed with their own. In the U.S., 12 states have some version of a restriction, mostly enjoined by the courts, though Florida’s is somewhat like Australia’s and “sort of” operational.

What does Australia hope to accomplish with its law?

As Prime Minister Anthony Albanese puts it, “Australians pride ourselves on our beaches and parks, our love of playing sports and socializing with friends. Less doom-scrolling means more chances to spend our precious hours relishing the remarkable world around us.”

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