Ben Sasse: The Indoor Childhood Is Bad for America
May 25, 2026
The digital revolution is remaking nearly every aspect of modern life. A top concern of parents, educators and sociologists is screen time. How much is too much? The question points to a larger problem: American children are weirdly held hostage indoors.
In theory, suburban neighborhoods offer the convenience of the city and the space of the country. In practice, it’s too often the worst of both worlds. Our mostly suburban nation suffers the atomization of city living and the isolation of rural life. For kids, this means a life lived primarily indoors, sitting still.
