Students booed Stern professor Jonathan Haidt as President Linda Mills welcomed him to the stage at NYU\u2019s all-university commencement in Yankee Stadium, following backlash from students claiming his platform \u2014\u00a0built on criticism of technology use and and progressive university culture \u2014\u00a0does not represent graduates\u2019 values.<\/p>\n
The social psychologist, known for his bestselling book \u201cThe Anxious Generation,\u201d continued with his speech as around three dozen students walked out of the venue. Haidt advised graduates to \u201ctake control of your own attention\u201d and \u201cdo hard things,\u201d citing his research linking social media to declining attention spans and mental health.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat you pay attention to shapes what you care about, and what you care about shapes what you become,\u201d Haidt said. \u201cSome of the biggest corporations in human history, they\u2019re not trying to earn your attention. They\u2019re not trying to deserve your attention \u2014 they\u2019re trying to take it from you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In his speech, Haidt recounted a course in which he encouraged students to disable their phone notifications and delete social media apps, in efforts to \u201creclaim\u201d their attention from companies that monetize users\u2019 focus and time \u2014 repeatedly citing Meta, which he said \u201cis valued at well over $1 trillion even though few of us have given it any money.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Haidt received a Doctor of Humane Letters, presented by Stern professor Bruce Buchanan. He delivered the commencement address on behalf of this year\u2019s three honorary degree recipients: Jacob Collier, a seven-time Grammy winner, NBA champion and Stern alum Mal Graham and Mary-Claire King, a geneticist celebrated for her groundbreaking cancer research.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Students\u2019 backlash over Haidt\u2019s selection as speaker, citing his yearslong campaign against progressive university culture, has garnered national media coverage<\/a>. In a May 5 letter, the Student Government Assembly\u2019s Executive Committee urged administrators to reconsider their selection<\/a> before the ceremony, calling Haidt\u2019s platform misaligned from graduates\u2019 experiences amid\u00a0 \u201csustained attacks on higher education and the global unraveling of diversity, equity and inclusion.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cGraduates have heard from prime ministers, presidents, Supreme Court justices, movie stars and \u2014 of course \u2014 Taylor Swift,\u201d Haidt said. \u201cSo, I know what you\u2019re all thinking: \u2018Thank God they finally found a social psychologist.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The Stern professor co-founded a college<\/a> that aims to combat \u201cilliberalism\u201d and \u201cwokeism\u201d in 2021, a few years after launching the nonprofit Heterodox Academy to bolster \u201cviewpoint diversity<\/a>\u201d in academia. He drew controversy in 2022 after refusing to write a statement<\/a> on equity and inclusion for a social psychology research conference, arguing that<\/a> mandatory diversity statements \u201cforce many academics to betray their quasi-fiduciary duty.\u201d Haidt also faced criticism<\/a> in 2014 for holding a lecture where he played a video comparing incest to gay sex.\u00a0<\/p>\n In February, the university launched NYU IRL<\/a> \u2014 an initiative promoting device-free spaces and events on campus so students reduce their technology usage \u2014 inspired by Haidt\u2019s scholarship. His 2024 book \u201cThe Anxious Generation\u201d has been a New York Times nonfiction bestseller for two years and sparked a movement, financially supported<\/a> by the Stern School of Business, that advocates for phone-free schools and social media age restrictions.\u00a0<\/p>\n This year\u2019s graduation season brought heightened tension as NYU reshaped its policies. Although Steinhardt graduate Armaan Gupta spoke at Thursday\u2019s ceremony, the university banned live student speeches at its school-based ceremonies following backlash for its response<\/a> to a speaker\u2019s pro-Palestinian remarks last year. NYU also canceled affinity graduation ceremonies<\/a> in February \u2014 citing the \u201ccurrent political climate\u201d \u2014 before inviting students to new identity-based celebrations<\/a>. In last week\u2019s statement, student government leaders cited a \u201cgrowing consensus across campus\u201d that Haidt\u2019s selection illustrates the university\u2019s goal of \u201camplifying a single narrative while simultaneously averting risk.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll face the unique challenges that have arisen for your generation,\u201d Haidt said, concluding the speech. \u201cBut, if you treasure your attention and then use it to do hard things in real life with other people, then \u2014 and trust me on this, as a social psychologist \u2014 your life is going to be amazing.\u201d <\/p>\n