That is the new book by Peter Gray , and it is very much a whole philosophy of child-rearing and also antidote to the current panic over social media. Excerpt: In preparation for this chapter, I spent weeks poring over the research literature pretaining to smartphones, social media, and teen mental health. It is clear to me that there is something close to a consensus among scientists most immersed in this research, which includes the following three conclusions: (1) Extensive research refutes the theory that effects of smartphones and social media account for a meaningful portion of the decline in teen mental health in the years following 2010. (2) Smartphones and social media can have both beneficial and harmful effects on teens’ mental health, which tend to cancel out when averaging. (3) Future research should focus on understanding better the ways teens use these tools and how to help them maximize the benefits and minimize the harm. Note that teen suffering also hit a peak around 1990 by many measures, yet that cannot have been caused by phones or social media. And European teen suicide rates were falling just as those in the United States were rising. This evidence is considered in further detail of course. Recommended, it is both easy to read and substantive. The post Restoring Childhood: How to Set Kids Free in the Age of Anxiety appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION .
*Restoring Childhood: How to Set Kids Free in the Age of Anxiety*
Brief
Peter Gray’s Restoring Childhood, highlighted by Tyler Cowen (Marginal Revolution, 2026-08-08), synthesizes the literature and concludes: smartphones/social media do not account for a meaningful share of post‑2010 teen mental‑health decline; effects are both beneficial and harmful and tend to offset; future studies should map use patterns to maximize benefits and reduce harm. Gray also cites a 1990 peak in teen distress and divergent U.S./European suicide trends.
Why it matters
Peter Gray's book Restoring Childhood (highlighted by Tyler Cowen on Marginal Revolution, 2026-08-08) summarizes a literature review and reports three consensus conclusions: (1) smartphones/social media do not explain a meaningful portion of teen mental‑health decline after 2010; (2) digital tools have both benefits and harms that often cancel out; (3) future research should study usage patterns.
Key details
- Gray reports that teen suffering by many measures peaked around 1990 and points out that European teen suicide rates were falling while U.S. rates rose — evidence used to argue against attributing recent U.S. declines to phones or social media.
- Tyler Cowen recommends the book as easy to read yet substantive, noting Gray spent weeks poring over research on smartphones, social media, and teen mental health.