Babbage: Teens and their screens

Where did the world’s most devastating weapon come from? In a four-part series, we go behind the scenes at America's nuclear laboratories to understand how a scientific-mystery story about the ingredients of matter led to a world-changing (and second-world-war-ending) bomb less t ...  Show more

Artificial intelligence is already <a href="https://www.economist.com/technology-quarterly/2024/03/27/ais-will-make-health-care-safer-and-better?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=babbage&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article& ...

Kids today are reporting higher levels of stress and anxiety than ever before, with many experts attributing this to constant screen time and social media exposure. In response, lawmakers and schools nationwide are experimenting with policies such as banning cell phones in the cl ...  Show more

Is social media to blame for the teen mental health crisis? It's complicated!

Thanks to Emily Weinstein, Amy Orben, ...

Research shows that, over the past two decades, rates of mental illness have been increasing in adolescents in many countries. While some scientists point to soaring use of smartphones and social media as a key driver for this trend, others say the evidence does not show a large ...  Show more

Many adults perform worse in tests of literacy and numeracy than the average ten year old. And results have worsened in the past decade. Are our brains rotting? Russia’s economy could finally be nosediving (7:20). And remembering Eichmann’s jailer, Shalom Nagar (14:00).  Listen t ...  Show more