New research data indicate that filtering and blocking software do not consistently work to protect children from what they access online. But content is not the only problem.
It is easy to shift from a techno-optimist to a techno-pessimist perspective when you grow weary of endless debates with your children about personal screen time, social media use, and other digital technologies. The Heritage Foundation organized an event entitled Screens & Sickness: Raising Healthy Kids in a Distracted World, where invited professionals discussed why the impact of technology on children’s health is a national security issue. The phrase may sound strong, but it is well-founded.
Jonathan Haidt, the author of The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, summarizes his book by stating that we have overprotected our children in the real world and underprotected them online, leading to catastrophic results.
AI INTIMACY IS TURNING ABUSIVE. CONGRESS MUST ACT
Statistics on youth mental illness show a drastic increase over the past decade. Young people report feeling more depressed, and their behavior has changed. Girls across the Western world have begun self-harming and being admitted to hospitals. However, mental health issues are not the only concern; there is also a decline in intelligence and knowledge, and a rise in functional illiteracy. Research shows that both parents and children themselves feel the harmful effects of excessive screen use. Alongside guns and alcohol, parents often wish social media sites had never been created. Studies with young people draw attention to the fact that, even though young people themselves say that excessive screen use makes them unhappy, they are unable to put it down.
The cause of these negative trends is clear and within our hands and is obvious. The key difference is whether we grew up with smartphones in our hands or had the chance to experience the analog world. Those born before 2000 played outside after school and on weekends, learning independence and self-governance. Preparation for democracy happened on the playground. For those born in 2000 or later, adolescence was entirely different. In 2012, Americans shifted from mostly using flip phones to mostly using smartphones. Those born after 2000 went through puberty posting, swiping, comparing, being advertised to, and being interrupted all day long.
Haidt connects this trend to a broader societal transformation. Drawing on Robert Putnam’s Bowling Alone, he notes that the erosion of community ties and trust since the 1980s has left parents increasingly isolated. Without the collective safety net of neighborhood life, every risk feels personal and every child’s freedom potentially dangerous. He also references Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s concept of antifragility — the idea that humans grow stronger through exposure to manageable stressors. Just as the immune system develops through contact with bacteria, psychological resilience depends on confronting, not avoiding, discomfort. Protecting children from every setback denies them the chance to build strength. The digital world compounds the problem.
New research data published recently by Annie Chestnut Tutor showed increasing evidence of the harm children face online, particularly from pornography. Responses from 1,000 parents surveyed indicated that online filters and blocking software do not consistently capture obscene content and often over-block, leading parents to disable them. Additionally, children can disable filters, and not every device a child uses has the technology installed or enabled.
The threat is not only the content children encounter online, but also the design of digital platforms, as Haidt emphasizes, which are engineered to maximize engagement and addiction. This, he argues, requires corporate accountability and stronger public regulation. Following four simple rules can halt and reverse these negative trends: (1) no smartphones before high school; (2) no social media before age 16; (3) phone-free schools; (4) more independence and unsupervised play in childhood.
There are many hopeful initiatives. Across the United States, dozens of states are introducing child digital protection laws. Australia has enacted such laws nationally, set to take effect on December 10. Many other countries want to follow suit. Significant progress has been made in just the last 12 to 15 months.
THINK SCREENS ARE BAD FOR CHILDREN? AI TOYS ARE WORSE
An increasing number of people are sounding the alarm that exposure to technology, particularly personal screens, is a national security issue. If new generations are more unhappy and struggle with mental health issues, this not only places a burden on healthcare and negatively affects social cohesion but also has consequences for the national economy by reducing productivity and creativity. If the new generation is less suited to positions of responsibility and their physical abilities fall behind those of previous generations, the nation’s position will also be weakened.
This is the last remaining bipartisan issue in America, says Jonathan Haidt, because both Democrats and Republicans have children. However, it was the Republicans and the conservative movement who approached this issue with sensitivity to a range of social effects that many others seem to overlook. Now that Republicans are in charge, they have the opportunity to make real change.
Levente Székely is a Hungarian sociologist and a fellow at George Mason University
