On Monday, June 3, CBS Mornings welcomes actor Matt Smith and author Jonathan Haidt to the show. Smith will discuss his role as Daemon Targaryen in the HBO fantasy drama series “House of the Dragon,” while Haidt will talk about his book “The Anxious Generation,” which explores the impact of technology and social media on the mental health of adolescents.
Matt Smith, an English actor known for his roles in “Doctor Who” and “The Crown,” joins the show to discuss his current project, “House of the Dragon.” In the series, Smith portrays Daemon Targaryen, the impetuous prince and brother of King Viserys. Smith’s character is described as an agent of chaos, a mercurial figure who walks the line between rogue and psychopath. “House of the Dragon” is a prequel to the popular “Game of Thrones” series, set about two centuries before the events of the original show. It chronicles a turbulent time in the history of the Targaryen dynasty, with Daemon at the heart of the conflict.
Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist and professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business, will discuss his book, “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness.” Haidt argues that the combination of overprotection in the real world and underprotection in the virtual world has contributed to an international mental health crisis among adolescents. He attributes this crisis to the decline of play-based childhood and the rise of phone-based childhood, with smartphones and social media taking over children’s free time. Haidt presents data and research showing sharp increases in depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide rates among young people, particularly girls. He offers solutions such as delaying the introduction of smartphones and social media until later adolescence and advocating for more unstructured playtime for children.
CBS Mornings airs Monday, June 3, 2024, at 7:00 a.m. on CBS.
