Interview with psychologist Prince Harry warns: "Easy to point the finger at parents"
Prince Harry talks to psychology professor Jonathan Haidt about the dangers of smartphones and social media and their impact on the mental health of children and young people.
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- Prince Harry believes that smartphones often rob young people of their childhood and pose major challenges for parents.
- Psychology professor Jonathan Haidt criticizes parents for protecting their children too much in the real world but supervising them too little online.
- Both argue for more control over social media and for children under the age of 16 not to use smartphones.
- Harry believes that many parents allow smartphones for safety reasons, even though the devices often do more harm than good.
Prince Harry has been committed to promoting mental health for years, especially for children and young people. In a recent video shared by Fortune magazine, the Prince expresses his concern about the negative effects of smartphones and social media.
Together with renowned psychology professor Jonathan Haidt, he discussed the role of parents and the responsibility of technology companies in digital parenting.
"In many cases, the smartphone is stealing young people's childhood," said Prince Harry. He explained that the constant availability of cell phones and social media often leads to an imbalance in children's lives. Parents are increasingly unable to set clear boundaries for their children.
Harry sees responsibility not only with parents
Haidt adds that parents often overprotect their children in the real world while supervising them too little online. This is bad for children's development.
Harry addresses the responsibility of social media platforms: "It's very easy to point the finger at parents and say: 'Well, that's down to you. That's down to your parenting'." However, the role of technology companies in creating safer digital environments for young people is just as important.
Haidt advocates not giving children access to social media before the age of 16 and promoting schools where smartphones are banned. At the same time, he calls for more independence and unsupervised play for children to strengthen their social and emotional development.
Cell phones only for emergencies
The main problem, however, is that parents often give smartphones to younger children "because everyone else is doing it too." Harry adds that many parents allow smartphones at an early age for safety reasons - they want their children to be able to contact them in an emergency.
However, this is a "double-edged sword", according to the Prince. Although parents tell their children not to use certain apps, children often find ways to circumvent these instructions.
Jonathan Haidt offers a simple solution: "Give your child a phone so they can call you if something goes wrong. But don't give him a supercomputer that's connected to everyone in the world."
