Yet, when tech ethicist and Centre of Humane Technology co-founder Tristan Harris warned a room full of CEOs in Davos that an “AI tsunami is coming,” bringing both substantial advantages and significant risks with it, his message served as a sobering reminder to question the human impact of this technological revolution.
The cultural shift we’re currently experiencing is leading to what I refer to as a “human change.” Just like global climate change requires our full attention to tackle it, the changes happening to humanity — our children and younger generations, in particular — should come as a warning that if we don’t act now to stop it, we’ll be faced with the consequences in the future. Manipulative algorithms, addictive design features and business models rooted in the “attention economy” are draining human potential — not enhancing it.
And the greatest risk is to our children.
Countless studies show that children today spend more time in the virtual world than engaging in face-to-face exchange, which is contributing to an epidemic of loneliness and a loss of essential social skills — including emotional intelligence, resilience and the ability to nurture in-person relationships.
On average, American teens spend up to nine hours per day watching or using screens, nearly five of which are spent on social media. And the impact this has on children’s brain development is profound: Research from the Winston Center shows that frequent exposure to social media heightens over-sensitivity to social feedback, leading to increased anxiety compared to children with less exposure. Similarly, Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist and author of “The Anxious Generation,” has warned that excessive smartphone and digital device use is making young people less focused and increasingly ill-equipped to navigate real-world challenges.
This isn’t just about the distant future — it’s something that’s already happening. Employers are increasingly reluctant to hire Gen-Z workers due to poor problem-solving skills, communication issues, lack of attention span and inability to handle criticism. In the U.S., companies have noted that recent college graduates struggle with eye contact during interviews — a consequence of a generation that’s had most of its relationships mediated through a screen.
