No social media before 16, expert urges

Smartphones and social media are at the root of today's youth mental-health crisis, says author Jonathan Haidt. — Getty Images/The New York Times

A couple of months ago, my 15-year-old daughter admitted she was addicted to her phone and that she hated it. She deleted TikTok and asked me to buy her a timed lockbox so she could take breaks from her smartphone – and also asked for a flip phone so she could still stay in touch when she was taking time off. I happily obliged.

But the pit in my stomach about her being a phone addict – and about how she still struggles daily to stop herself from scrolling and from actually using the lockbox – has not dissolved.