An entire generation lives in a world that has always been illuminated by the glow of laptops, tablets, and smartphones, with nearly 24/7 access to a world of more data and content than past generations could have dreamed of amassing.
According to a 2025 report from the nonprofit organization Common Sense Media, by age 2, nearly half of children, 40%, have their own tablet. Another report from the nonprofit organization found that between the ages of 13 and 18, 88% to 95% of teens own their own smartphones.
In recent years, screen time in schools has increased as students and teachers transition to digital learning. For example, according to Google, Chromebooks are used by 50 million students and teachers every day.
In his best-selling book, The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist and professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business, links the simultaneous rise in depression and anxiety among young people to the rise in screen-filled childhoods.
“All of these devices are designed to keep kids scrolling for hours on end,” he told CNBC Make It at last month’s Fast Company Innovation Festival. “Average viewing time excluding school is 8-10 hours.”
And Hite believes it has a negative impact on children’s well-being. “If we want to have any hope of them growing healthy, we have to put it back together,” he says.
Hite advises parents how to navigate the chaotic ecosystem of screens and apps in the home.
Jonathan Haidt’s No. 1 Parenting Rule About Screens in the Home
First, Hite says the most important rule regarding screen use by children in the home is to keep devices of any kind out of the bedroom.
“Really bad things can happen if your child has their own touchscreen device in their bedroom,” he says. They can end up spending hours on social media sites and other platforms without guardrails or oversight. You may end up seeing harmful content.
“God knows how many children saw the video of blood gushing out of (Charlie Kirk’s) neck within hours of the incident,” he said. “There is currently no way to stop this, so we need to change the technological environment.”
All of these devices are designed to keep kids scrolling for hours.
Jonathan Hite
Author: “Generation of Anxiety”
Another of Hite’s most solid parenting rules is that kids shouldn’t have smartphones before high school. A global study of 27,969 18- to 24-year-olds conducted by the nonprofit Sapien Lab found that the older you are when you first own a smartphone or tablet, the better your mental well-being.
But Hite offers some flexibility, understanding that a completely device-free childhood is impossible in this day and age. So when it comes to other screens, “you can put a TV in your living room,” he says.
“You can have a computer in your kitchen or living room, you can use Google, you can watch some videos on YouTube,” but only on these shared devices and shared spaces, he points out.
When it comes to personal devices, whether it’s a Chromebook for school or a high school purchasing a smartphone, Hite says parents need to have a dedicated space.
He suggests a box for the device and clearly communicates its purpose to children and teens. “They live on your kitchen counter. Check on them if you want,” he says.
Your child can then use the device for a limited time and then change it back.
“My goal is not to take kids away from computers and technology,” he says. This is to ensure that you use it in a way that does not harm your mental health.
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