Jonathan Haidt is here to talk about his latest book, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness.

• Social media and smartphones have drastically altered childhood since the early 2010s, leading to increased rates of anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicide among teens, especially girls.
• Virtual interactions on social media are disembodied, shallow, and can spread mental health issues among susceptible teens. Prestige biased learning causes teens to emulate influencers, even those promoting unhealthy behaviors. Smartphones and social media also enable sexual predators to easily target children online.
• Overprotection in the real world and underprotection online are both mistakes that need to be reversed. Parents have allowed kids too much unsupervised screen time while restricting their independence and free play in the physical world out of exaggerated fears.
• Schools and parents need to set clear boundaries around technology use. No smartphones before high school, no social media until age 16, and phone-free schools from bell to bell are key norms to establish. The longer parents delay introducing these technologies, the better.
• Although the situation is serious, positive change is possible when parents, educators, and lawmakers work together. Parents can start by giving kids more independence and free play time offline, schools can go phone-free, and governments can pass laws to make online spaces safer for kids. With collective action, we can restore a healthier childhood for the next generation. Small steps like "Free Play Fridays" for neighborhood kids can make a difference right away. By coming together to solve this, we can ensure today's youth have the space to develop into competent, well-adjusted adults.
• And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/990

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Your disabled father's safety is jeopardized by a violent, mentally ill relative, and legal remedies have proven insufficient. Welcome to Feedback Friday!

And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabriel Mizrahi (@GabeMizrahi) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

• Your paralyzed, terminally sick father's safety is at risk due to a violent, mentally ill family member, and legal interventions seem ineffective. What alternative solutions exist?
• Raised in an abusive, isolating homeschool cult, you struggle with trauma, financial hardship, and inaccessibility to college due to a lack of legitimate transcripts. Are you out of luck, or might there be a workaround? [Thanks to licensed mental health counselor and cult expert Steven Hassan for helping us with this one!]
• After enduring a volatile, unprofessional manager who alienated staff and customers, how can you diplomatically end your forced friendship now that he's been fired?
• Your mother's disapproval of your loving husband has led to an 'all or none' ultimatum resulting in estrangement and heartbreak for your son, who wonders why you "don't visit grandma anymore." What can you do?
• A dyslexic listener shares their journey to success, urging others with dyslexia to embrace their strengths, seek accommodations, and overcome shame by being open and advocating for their needs.
• Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
• Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
• Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi and Instagram @gabrielmizrahi.

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/989

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Ex-federal agent Robert Mazur shares his experiences working undercover to infiltrate drug cartels, offering insights into the challenges involved. Pt 2/2. [Pt 1 can be found here!]

What We Discuss with Robert Mazur:

• How Robert, working undercover for US Customs and the DEA, posed as a money launderer to infiltrate Pablo Escobar's Medellin cartel and other criminal organizations.
• Money laundering enables cartels to produce their most lethal product: corruption. Corrupt officials and governments facilitate drug trafficking operations.
• Money laundering methods are highly sophisticated, involving legitimate businesses, secret codes, and multi-national operations to evade detection.
• Banks and the global financial system need to change to combat money laundering effectively, with severe penalties for those involved in facilitating the flow of illicit funds.
• Despite the risks and close calls, Robert continued his undercover work to gather intelligence and evidence against drug cartels until it became clear that the price his family was paying was not worth continuing.
• And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/988

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Ex-federal agent Robert Mazur shares his experiences working undercover to infiltrate drug cartels, offering insights into the challenges involved. Pt 1/2.

What We Discuss with Robert Mazur:

• How Robert, working undercover for US Customs and the DEA, posed as a money launderer to infiltrate Pablo Escobar's Medellin cartel and other criminal organizations.
• The extensive planning that goes into an undercover operation, including developing a detailed backstory, establishing fake businesses, and coordinating with informants and other agents.
• How Robert built rapport with targets by researching their interests, using active listening, and offering them gifts to gain their trust.
• Undercover agents must be laser-focused on their targets and avoid thinking about their personal lives, as any slip-up could compromise the operation and endanger their safety.
• During trials, these agents must be prepared for defense attorneys' tactics, such as role reversal, and maintain their composure to avoid compromising the case or their credibility in front of the jury.
• And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/987

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Has technology weaponized pornography into a public health crisis? Michael Regilio takes us through modern porn's ins and outs on this Skeptical Sunday!

• High-speed internet porn is a recent phenomenon that provides an intense, novel experience unlike traditional pornography, hacking into our brain's evolutionary desires for new mates and triggering dopamine responses similar to drug addiction.
• Pornography use, especially among adolescents and young adults who grew up with easy access to internet porn, has been linked to erosion of gray matter in the brain's prefrontal cortex, which controls impulse control and decision-making.
• Porn use has been associated with sexual disorders like erectile dysfunction in young men, as well as difficulties forming emotional bonds and intimacy in relationships.
• While some psychologists dispute the existence of "porn addiction," neuroscientific evidence shows porn use can lead to compulsive behaviors and brain changes resembling substance addictions.
• While some political efforts have been made to declare porn a public health crisis, there is little policy action based on scientific evidence to provide resources for treatment and awareness.
• Connect with Jordan on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!
• Connect with Michael Regilio at Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, and make sure to check out the Michael Regilio Plagues Well With Others podcast here or wherever you enjoy listening to fine podcasts!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/986

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

When bail reforms free violent offenders and risk others' safety, how can we uphold justice while safeguarding victims? Welcome to Feedback Friday!

And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabriel Mizrahi (@GabeMizrahi) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

• When bail reforms free violent offenders and risk others' safety, how can we uphold justice while safeguarding victims?
• You've about had it with your autistic boss' cringeworthy conspiracy theories. How can you disagree respectfully and maintain professionalism?
• As a cancer patient struggling with massive student loans and disability assistance denial, what legal help and guidance is available for navigating private loan regulations while fighting for survival?
• You've invented a non-functional plastic object that brings laughter to all who behold its absurdity. You want to protect the IP so you can profit from this stroke of comedic novelty, but you can't ignore the potential environmental impact of manufacturing such an item en masse. What should you do?
• Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
• Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
• Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi and Instagram @gabrielmizrahi.

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/985

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

What challenges can the ocean help us meet, and what must we do to safeguard its treasures? The Underworld author Susan Casey dives deep for answers here!

• The ocean plays a crucial role in regulating the Earth's climate and serves as the largest carbon sink on the planet, making its preservation essential for mitigating climate change.
• The ocean is home to a fascinating array of creatures that have adapted to extreme conditions, such as iron-breathing microbes, glass sponges, and jellyfish that can reverse their life cycle.
• Pollution, including plastics, chemical weapons, and nuclear waste, has severely impacted the ocean ecosystem, with some deep-sea creatures found to have plastic particles embedded in their organs.
• There are an estimated three million shipwrecks on the ocean floor, preserving valuable historical artifacts and information — such as the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient Greek analog computer.
• Exploring the ocean can lead to groundbreaking discoveries in medicine, Earth's history, and climate, providing valuable insights for addressing humanity's challenges — provided we safeguard this treasury of knowledge for current and future generations.
• And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/984

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Your brother's never-ending barrage of goat-related songs, text messages, and references has your family concerned. Welcome to Feedback Friday!

And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabriel Mizrahi (@GabeMizrahi) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!

• An innocent bystander might find your brother's weird obsession with goats amusing, but his barrage of goat-related songs, text messages, and references has your family concerned. What can you do to herd him back to reality?
• Feeling unwelcome as the only woman at a family card game, you struggle with self-doubt and question your husband's support. How can you navigate family dynamics while staying true to yourself?
• Despite not being officially charged by the DA for public intoxication and alleged indecent exposure (the latter of which you deny), your six-year career as a firefighter is in jeopardy. What are your options? [Thanks to police agency supervisor T.D. De La Peña for helping us with this one!]
• As a small business co-owner, you face a dilemma: stay in a potentially profitable but stressful partnership or leave with decent earnings, which would have a negative impact on the company's stability and your (ex-)business partner.
• Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!
• Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.
• Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi and Instagram @gabrielmizrahi.

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/983

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!