Jonathan Haidt says he wants to bring fun back to college.
The New York University Stern School of Business professor and author of bestselling book “The Anxious Generation” has been teaching college students since the mid-1990s.
He’s noticed a change in the atmosphere on campus over the years, he said at an early-March fireside chat at NYU to introduce the school’s latest initiative, NYU IRL, which aims to help students be more present by offering phone-free spaces, among other efforts.
Haidt said life on campus has grown much more tense over the years. Colleges once felt like places where students could freely explore new ideas, he said, but in the era of smartphones and social media, many worry that something they say could spread online and get them ostracized or “canceled.” Instead of openly debating and learning from experts or one another, students often remain on the defensive.
This change came in tandem with the introduction of social media and the smartphone, he said, as well as the spike in youth mental health issues he has long warned about.
That’s where the new NYU initiative comes into play: an effort to help students become more present and enjoy campus life again. Among his advice for Gen Zers in the audience, Haidt gave three tips for staying off your phone.
‘Get all of the slot machine apps off your phone’
Haidt’s advice is to “get all of the slot machine apps off your phone,” he said. Delete your profiles on them altogether, or, if you feel like you still need to use apps like Instagram to communicate with people, delete them on your phone and use them on your desktop computer.
“Don’t waste your time posting,” he told CNBC Make It. “Don’t look at other people’s posts, especially strangers.” If your friends are primarily using Instagram to communicate, fine.
“But get it off your phone,” he said, “because your phone is always with you.”
Get your morning and evening routines right
Next, Haidt would recommend building healthy morning and nighttime routines.
For some people like Harvard professor Arthur Brooks, a healthy morning routine means working out first thing in the morning and doing some analytical meditation by attending Mass or doing a Catholic meditation in his car. Brooks also recommends delaying his coffee intake, he previously said on his podcast, “Office Hours with Arthur Brooks.”
An optimal nighttime routine might mean making a to-do list to ensure you get through your priorities today and get through the rest tomorrow, licensed clinical psychologist Shelby Harris previously told CNBC Make It.
However you build your waking-up and going-to-bed routines, experts agree to avoid looking at your phone right when you get up and right before you go to sleep.
Use your phone for ‘maps and music and basic texting’
Finally, Haidt recommends turning off the majority of your notifications. That includes news updates and email notifications.
“Many teens and adults find that turning off all, or almost all, notifications is helpful” to avoid distractions and reduce screen time, clinical psychologist Nicole Beurkens previously told Make It.
Ultimately, there’s no set amount of time Haidt would have Gen Zers use their phones each day. What matters is how they use them.
“If their phones were truly just tools that they used for maps and music and basic texting,” he told Make It, “then I wouldn’t give a fixed amount.”
The key, he said, is avoiding endless scrolling.
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