S3E2 | What Governments Must Do | The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt | The Messy Podcast
This podcast will discusscollective action problems and how they relate to childhood and technology.Collective action problems occur when individuals act in their own self-interest, which leads to a negative outcome for everyone.An example of this is when kids want to get smartphones and social media accounts because their peers have them.Parents feel pressure to give their children smartphones to fit in, even though they may not want to.This leads to a "stable but unfortunate equilibrium" where everyone has a smartphone, and children are not having a play-based childhood.The podcast will cover howcollective action problems can be overcome.Four main types ofcollective response are discussed:The podcast will also discuss how technology companies and schools can work together to reverse the transition from play-based to phone-based childhood.The podcast will also discuss the importance of giving children independence and the need to protect them from online harms.The podcast will cite research that explores these issues.The podcast recognizes that the psychological principles that will be discussed are not universally applicable.The podcast acknowledges the challenges in making changes and the need to try new policies and measure the outcomes.The podcast aims to promote healthier childhoods.