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.