As Parliament debates whether to ban social media for under 16s, I find myself reflecting on a new TikTok trend: people choosing to “go analogue” - rejecting screens for books, tangible hobbies and time in nature.
I’ve been reading a lot of Jonathan Haidt lately. If anyone thinks we should be spending less time online, it’s him. He writes about how social media saps our energy, attention and focus and it’s also linked to a deterioration in mental health for children and young people. Haidt argues that we are raising an anxious generation – and I find it hard to disagree with him.
Building a hope-filled generation, not just an anxious one
Unfortunately, social media doesn’t only affect the young. Even if I’m not obsessively using Instagram, I’m doom-scrolling BBC News, absorbing bad news left, right, and centre. It’s exhausting and sometimes feels uncontrollable.
Is the 'quiet revival' getting louder?
Every September, more than two million young people start their university adventure. It’s a season of fresh freedom, big questions, …