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Culture War Roundup for the week of March 23, 2026

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I saw a study recently that claimed that it's quite literally healthier to be a pack a day smoker with an active social life than a wellness guru who has no friends.

I seriously doubt that is true (the study's claim, not that you saw it). I would need a lot of evidence to be convinced of such an incredible claim, like years of studies repeatedly finding that to be true.

my parents did this to me as a child/teenager (now ~20 years ago, yikes!). Even back then, not having a blackberry/dumb cellphone was rapidly causing social issues as adoption pumped. And finally at the end of grade 9 my parents, realizing this, started listening to my pleading and got me a phone.

I mean I'm the same age or very similar, and I experienced no such issues. I think that part of growing up is learning to shrug off people who are jerks and who mistreat you for petty reasons. Yes, kids are super sensitive to being shut out of things, but they need to learn to ignore that to be well-adjusted adults.

I seriously doubt that is true (the study's claim, not that you saw it). I would need a lot of evidence to be convinced of such an incredible claim, like years of studies repeatedly finding that to be true.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK595227/pdf/Bookshelf_NBK595227.pdf

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28880099/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38824784/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37337095/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39836319/

and I experienced no such issues. I think that part of growing up is learning to shrug off people who are jerks and who mistreat you for petty reasons.

While I agree with you overall, in this case being quite literally the singular only person in homeroom without a cellphone was not "shrug off a bully", it was incredibly other-ing. I think my parents made the right call.

This is why I am generally rather (classical) liberal but for youth social media bans, I am much more in favor. It's a situation where even the teenagers today say social media makes their lives worse, but they can't leave if everyone else is still on it. The solution requires coordinated action.