The information revolution has produced the most dramatic economic and social transformations since industrialization. Like that preceding revolution, it has yielded some great benefits but has also generated some unanticipated and unacceptable harms that are particularly acute among one of our nation’s most vulnerable populations: our children. To grapple with this issue successfully, policymakers will need to understand that the questions involved require us to think beyond individual freedom and economic dynamism, and to take seriously the well-being of the rising generation.

Guest Chris Griswold joins us to discuss the historical parallels between child labor in the 19th century and kids’ use of social media today, and to suggest steps that policymakers can take to protect them from its harms.

Chris Griswold is the policy director at American Compass, a conservative organization whose mission is to restore an economic consensus that emphasizes the importance of family, community, and industry to the nation’s liberty and prosperity.

This podcast discusses themes from Chris’s essay in the Spring 2022 issue of National Affairs, “Protecting Children from Social Media.”