As a person concerned about the future of the Internet, I am also concerned about Jonathan Haidt, a book publisher who claims to be a "child neurosurgeon", when in reality, is spreading propaganda around social media to make it worse. Since the panic started around 2022 or 2023, Haidt published a book, "The Anxious Generation". While it's intents is to protect children, it suggests that we should ban smartphones and social media for under 16 or even 18, which goes too far.

Haidt has been publishing books since 2006; but he didn't get well-known until 2024, when he published the controversial and infamous book "The Anxious Generation".

Social media can be harmful and addictive - but that doesn't mean they're inherently bad. Social media is more than just entertainment; teens use them to develop their knowledge, learn new cultures, and be creative. While the safety concerns are valid, that doesn't mean we should ban minors from using social media simply because of a propaganda book.

Unfortunately, this book started the anti-social media propaganda, which has lead a majority of people to try to support censorship bans that are trying to "protect children" (it's an excuse, actually), when they're just to encourage censorship. This book is also the main reason why that many countries are trying to ban social media for under 16s or even 18s. Haidt is only making these books to spread more propaganda, and ruin the 21st century. While it is true that children shouldn't have social media at an early age, that doesn't mean they don't need to have it at teen years - at the young teen years (e.g. 13-15), it can be beneficial, if used responsibly. It is also alleged that Jonathan is greedy, as the only reason he publishes these books is to get money. Haidt is also publishing these books to try to make the government corrupt, censor the Internet and make it less free, and promote anti-social media propaganda. He has also dodged criticism by stating that "he doesn't want bans, but an minimum age", when it's clear he's supporting a ban.

We already know that bans are hard to enforce, and it won't work. For example, the UK is currently testing the Online Safety Act, which intends to protect children from harmful content, although it instead infringes on privacy, as it requires ID verifications, which can also be a security-risk, as it may cause a data breach. One example is that there was an adult who was marked as "11" by Discord's face-scanning system in the UK, which makes the system inaccurate. In addition, face-scanning verifications have been proven to be less accurate on darker-skinned people. In addition, Haidt's propaganda book is the exact reason why Australia passed their Online Safety Amendment 2024, which would ban minors under 16 from using social media. That law has been extensively criticized for the possible risk of requiring IDs to access the Internet. We know that age verification is flawed, and won't work.

Many years ago, Korea tried to ban video games from midnight to 6 am by the "Shutdown law" for those under 16. But did it work? NO, IT DID NOT!!! It was a massive failure, and could be easily circumvented! Plus, certain innocent games, like Minecraft for example, were rated as 19+ despite being edutainment. Minecraft has been proven to have benefits for kids.

Not to mention, back during the original social media panic that began around 2004-2005 and was around MySpace, how many people suggested that MySpace should be banned for minors under 16 or even 18? Few, Only a few. Most people suggested at the time that MySpace should take steps to make it's website safe for minors, or parents would instead let their kids on Facebook since it was supposed to be "safer", and that panic went away around 2010, and MySpace listened to the concerns.

Social media isn't as bad as drugs or alcohol as people say; they could be comparable to TV and video games, Who's responsible to ensure kids don't watch too much TV or play too much games? That's the parents, and that's crystal-clear.

So, we demand that the publishers of books, such as Rocky Pond Books and Penguin Audio, to:

1. Permanently discontinue the books "The Anxious Generation" and "The Amazing Generation" (which is upcoming, but we should cancel it in this case) and never restock them again. Completely remove their websites, and demand all major retailers worldwide remove these books, both physically and on their websites. Also, demand libraries also remove the book.
2. Focus on educational initiatives, parental guidance, digital literacy, etc. rather than supporting authoritarian-like motivates to ensure us tweens and teens can use social media safely while maximizing the risks. Demand Haidt either never think about his actions again, or that Haidt do an apology to everyone for spreading the wrong message.

If we want to stop the anti-social media bans from occurring, we must stop these books, too. Let's hope one day, someone will instead publish a book on why social media can actually be beneficial for kids and teens, if used responsibly. We should try to still cultivate the Internet, as it's not just a harmful place, it's an amazing place! It's becoming a large part of our lives, and we aren't going back to 1950; we have to deal with the changing times. Sign this petition if you believe Haidt must know his books were a big mistake; and we should focus on actual solutions.

Here's the tips to help this petition possibly succeed:

1. Share this petition with your friends, family, communities, etc. on social media.
2. Don't support Jonathan Haidt, nor read his books; Discourage anyone, including parents and teachers from reading them. Instead, teach them about the harms and benefits of social media and smartphones, and why we shouldn't ban them.
3. Try to promote this petition.
4. Don't support anyone, nor any company/government that supports a social media ban in that matter.
5. Try educating people instead on how to use social media wisely and safely.