Use code ‘Howtown’ to save 10% off all Riverside plans: https://creators.riverside.com/Howtown
This is a pilot episode of a new podcast-like format that we’re calling “Howtown Showdown.” In it, we flip a coin to take sides in a contentious scientific debate and look for the strongest evidence supporting our respective positions. For this first episode, we dive into the academic controversy sparked by Jonathan Haidt’s best-selling book, The Anxious Generation, which argues that social media apps on smartphones are a major driver of declining mental-health outcomes among young people. The trends show rising anxiety, depression, and self-harm among teenagers in the United States and several other English-speaking countries. But does the evidence really show that social media is the problem?
Numbered sources and further reading: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AdAhgQtJ7dfzc7w1lEFSCqkF8Q6HXbum2scNvTJ4LR4/edit?usp=sharing
To support independent science journalism, join us at https://patreon.com/howtown
And follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@howtown_
We’re grateful for the generous support of our Patreon Town Council:
Bev Fong
Chris Wubbels
Sean Barrett
Mike Purvis
Jon Hewett
Albychen
Hernando Garcia
Aatish Bhatia
Sean Talon
Evan Hass
Mark Tinker
Julian Mayorga
L.A. O’Connor
Marcos Huerta
Joaquim Salles
Sam Gaty
Jason Dunlap
Parag Mallick
Edgar Sutawika
Tim Davey
Navneet
Tra Him
Taylor
Pedro ZM
Ale
Martin Weeks
Dimi
Bryce Golden-Chen
Estelle Caswell
Yash Murthy
martin david
Matthew Stvartak
Garret Wates
Slightly Suspicious Mind
Kellyn Lorentzen-Goler
omg.science
Duncan Stannett
Keith England
Aaron Wesson
Risa Dewi
Matthew Ferguson
Jocelyn Tabancay Duffy
Tonnae Kwong
Gabbatv
Gua Sin Ong
Casey Schatz
Chapters:
0:00 the proposition
1:21 riverside
2:56 the rules
3:21 joss’s round 1
7:59 adam’s round 1
13:29 stat v stat!
20:10 adam’s round 3
25:22 joss’s round 3
31:00 gotcha questions??
34:44 pet peeves
37:43 that’s a fair point!
39:39 closing arguments
42:10 who won?
