Two years ago, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt released his book, The Anxious Generation. In it, he argued that the rise of social media and smartphone use is to blame for the prominent decline in teen mental health since 2010. This month, psychology researcher Peter Gray takes on that narrative with his book, Restoring Childhood. In a conversation with senior policy reporter Lauren Feiner, Gray argues that school — not social media — is the real culprit. 0:00 Intro 01:04 90 Seconds on The Verge 02:31 The Theory of Restoring Childhood 05:10 Societal Changes That Affect Children’s Freedom 10:56 Common Core’s Impact 14:09 Debunking The Anxious Generation 21:31 School Stress 27:42 Parents’ Lived Experience 34:21 Guardrails And Age Checks 40:59 Will Gray’s Theory Break Through? 44:25 Wrap Up Subscribe to The Verge: https://bit.ly/3FT6n5S Watch The Vergecast on YouTube: https://bit.ly/40RFRkg The Vergecast Podcast: https://bit.ly/3WQDexZ Decoder with Nilay Patel: http://apple.co/3v29nDc More about our podcasts: https://www.theverge.com/podcasts Read More: http://www.theverge.com Community guidelines: http://bit.ly/2D0hlAv Wallpapers from The Verge: https://bit.ly/2xQXYJr Shop our Verge merch store here: https://bit.ly/4kPCmEc If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may receive a commission without exerting any influence on editorial content. For more information about our ethics policy, visit: https://bit.ly/3ZWTlLs