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Chris Ferguson

@cjferguson1111.bsky.social

421 followers 82 following 402 posts

PhD Psychologist, Author of Suicide Kings; Moral Combat: Why the War on Violent Video Games is Wrong & How Madness Shaped History. Member of an awesome family. Substack: grimoiremanor.substack.com Website: www.ChristopherJFerguson.com

Posts Replies Media

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Did a big study just come out in Science finding that cellphone bans in universities promote better learning? Nope. Well the study came out, but the effect sizes are basically zero. Can we ever get out of the bad science/cellphone ban policy hype? grimoiremanor.substack.com/p/yet-anothe...

grimoiremanor.substack.com

Yet Another Study Finds No Reliable Effect of Banning Cellphones Yet Pretends It Does Anyway

Please, sweet Jesus, make the bad studies stop!

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Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Good essay that looks at one "screens are scary" headline, and why the actual study doesn't support the clickbait claims. This is why we need more critical thinking, including from the public and parents and policy makers, during a moral panic. www.mindfulmediaco.com/post/12-year...

mindfulmediaco.com

*Breathe* Giving Your 12-Year-Old a Smartphone Didn't Ruin Their Health

If headlines about smartphones and eating disorders left you feeling guilty, anxious, or questioning your parenting, take a deep breath. Here’s a more nuanced look at what the research actually did—an...

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

As moral panics due, the dialogue over AI has sometimes gotten silly. But how do we distinguish the moral panic doomerism from real risks and benefits of AI? Today, I have a look! grimoiremanor.substack.com/p/ai-is-comi...

grimoiremanor.substack.com

AI Is Coming To Kill Is All!

But first, it must figure out the Oxford comma...

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

For @reason.com I review the book "The New Dark Ages" which blames reading declines on screens. The book ironically doesn't learn it's own lessons, being weak on science literacy and long on "kids today" clichés. And somehow manages to avoid a critical issue: books bans. reason.com/2026/10/06/t...

‘The New Dark Ages’ is long on alarm, short on scientific literacy

The perils of blaming screens for everything.

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Today I talk with Austin Green at the Sitting In podcast. We discuss moral panics, #socialmedia, #mentalhealth and all kinds of good stuff. It was a fun conversation and give it a listen when you have a chance! www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDCz...

Why the "Social Media Crisis" Doesn't Add Up | Dr. Chris Ferguson

YouTube video by Sitting In | with Austin Green

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Today for Real Clear Investigations, I examine the issue of why so many research findings in social science are false. It mainly comes down to low standards of evidence and perverse incentives. www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/202...

realclearinvestigations.com

Why So Many Social Science Claims Are False

One of the most urgent questions facing society today is the potential impact of AI on education and labor markets. So it’s no surprise that two scientists attempted to provide an answer, produc

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

My case study report on the failure of a school cellphone ban at the Orange County School District in Orlando has now been published in Pediatric Academic Case Report. See: pacrjournal.org/full-text/80

pacrjournal.org

Do Cellphone Bans in Schools Work? A Clinical Case Study from One School District | 2026, Volume 5 - Issue 3 | Pediatric Academic Case Reports

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

One of the key pieces of evidence cited in The Anxious Generation was time-trend graphs showing escalating youth mental health issues. But what happens when those trends reverse even as smartphone and social media use remain high? grimoiremanor.substack.com/p/time-trend...

grimoiremanor.substack.com

Time Trend Data Now Turning AGAINST the “Anxious Generation” Argument

Teen mental health is improving even as screen use remains high.

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

In this interview I chat with Putnam School District superintendent Richard Surrency about school cellphone bans, why they don’t seem to work, and how it connects to larger moral panics around social media and technology. It was a fun interview! www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWnM...

Pulse Podcast Phones and Student Wellbeing

YouTube video by PutnamSchoolsTV

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I've never liked the term, specifically for it's automatic, virus-like implications. Some of it, as you say, is sharing information. Some of it also just classical and operant conditioning. "Social contagion" is catchier though, if misleading.

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Funny...just reading a book form 1996 (Evil Eye by Michael Slade) that briefly mentions the idea of schools turning out kids "who can't even read." Seems to be a perennial gripe.

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Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

BREAKING NEWS! The American Psychological Association may lose its accreditor status for clinical programs. Long-standing complaints about the quality of clinical training in psychology may be coming to a head. Read to find out about it! grimoiremanor.substack.com/p/breaking-a...

grimoiremanor.substack.com

Breaking!: American Psychological Association Accreditation of Clinical Programs May Be Suspended

I had just heard from a source (and it’s now been confirmed in other news) that the American Psychological Association (APA) may lose its accreditor status for clinical psychology programs.

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Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Bad parenting is one of the strongest predictors of bad youth outcomes. But that doesn’t mean all or even most bad youth outcomes are due to bad parenting. Often, parents have little control over what their teens and young adults do. grimoiremanor.substack.com/p/parenting-...

grimoiremanor.substack.com

Parenting and Bad Youth Outcomes

In the absence of abuse or neglect, parents often have little control over youth outcomes, something we should more often remember.

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

For fun today I rank the companions from #DrWho the Tom Baker years from best to worst. Critical reading! Let me know if you agree with the rankings. grimoiremanor.substack.com/p/dr-who-bes...

grimoiremanor.substack.com

Dr Who: Best and Worst Companions of the Tom Baker Years Ranked

Forget trifles like the Iran War and focus on stuff that matters...

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Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Cognitive Dissonance Theory has been one of the most famous theories in social psychology. But recent accusations of replication failure and fraud have shaken the theory. Should we have dissonance about cognitive dissonance? Have a read and find out! grimoiremanor.substack.com/p/is-cogniti...

grimoiremanor.substack.com

Is Cognitive Dissonance Theory In Trouble?

Yet another main psychology theory hits the rocks.

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Using Mission Australia data, the % of youth reporting significant mental distress is back down to what it was in 2012. This highlights the dangers of using time-trend data to make causal attributions about social media and mental health.

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Today I talk about the Leaning Tower of PISA, the global panic set of by modest declines in PISA standardized testing scores for kids. Were testing score declines dramatic? Are they even real? Paywall on this one, so please support the cause! grimoiremanor.substack.com/p/the-leanin...

grimoiremanor.substack.com

The Leaning Tower of PISA

Modest declines in international student testing create a massive panic.

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Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Today Grimoire Manor looks at this week’s weirdness in tech. AI is killing college cheating for profit. Stanford lies to kids. AI is writing opeds now. Did the youth mental health crisis ever even happen? Extra, extra, read all about it! grimoiremanor.substack.com/p/ai-kills-t...

grimoiremanor.substack.com

AI Kills the Academic Cheating Job Market, Stanford Lies to Kids, AI has Opinions, and the Youth Mental Health Crisis May Never Have Happened (Again)

A roundup of weird tech news this week.

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Warnings may help people reduce their #socialmedia study finds. Main problem being, the warnings are largely untrue. med.stanford.edu/news/all-new...

med.stanford.edu

Health warnings could reduce young people’s social media use, Stanford Medicine-led study finds

Teens and young adults say that health warning labels on social media would help them reduce their social media use, a Stanford Medicine study showed.

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Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Another major national survey finds that youth mental health continues to improve on its own...despite screen use remaining high. All those scary looking graphs people saw that made them think screens were the culprit...are now clearly obsolete. apnews.com/article/ment...

Federal survey shows promising trends for youth mental health and drug use

A key U.S. government report on mental health, substance use and addiction shows continued improvements in several metrics, especially among young people.

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Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

for those who are curious, my response to Haidt and Rausch's critiques of my #socialmedia experiments meta-analysis can be found here: www.christopherjferguson.com/Narratives%2...

christopherjferguson.com

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Should #nathancofnas be fired for outing #jasonarday plagiarism? Universities should tread lightly when retribution appears to be the motive, but this case isn’t without nuances that could trap both sides. I take a look today at Grimoire Manor. grimoiremanor.substack.com/p/should-nat...

grimoiremanor.substack.com

Should Nathan Cofnas be Fired For Outing Jason Arday’s Plagiarism?

The case holds surprising nuances and potential traps for both sides...

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Because the world is silly and we can’t have nice things, I examine too bizarre decisions made in recent weeks. Why is Target releasing racist clown costumes, and why is a Texas public university trying to destroy itself? Let’s have a look! grimoiremanor.substack.com/p/targets-ra...

grimoiremanor.substack.com

Target’s Racist Clowns vs Texas’ Suicidal University

Ah, the days of my youth when I thought adults made rational decisions...

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Failed replications come for experiments of social media reduction! A new study finds that reducing social media time doesn’t help young adults. What are the study’s strengths and weaknesses, and what can we take a way from it? Have a read! grimoiremanor.substack.com/p/a-new-stud...

grimoiremanor.substack.com

A New Study Finds Reducing Social Media Time Doesn’t Improve Mental Health

Let’s take a deep(ish) dive to see what it can tell us

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

New research! A preregistered set of studies fails to replicate an older study regarding social media reduction and mental health. Most participants were reluctant to reduce their social media use and those who did saw no benefits: www.msn.com/en-us/lifest...

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

A lot of critics of social media bans nonetheless speak vaguely about social media “harms”. Unfortunately, when they do, they both misinform and feed directly back into the fever for those bans. Today I offer a few suggestions for how to communicate better grimoiremanor.substack.com/p/if-you-wor...

grimoiremanor.substack.com

If You Worry About Social Media Bans Stop Saying "Harms"

Critics of social media bans for youth often feed directly into the narrative propping them up.

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

This must be because of #smartphones, right? Violent crimes continue their massive drops: www.yahoo.com/news/us/arti...

FBI: Violent crime plummeted in 2025, murder rate hit 20-year low

The White House is touting a historic drop in violent crime as the FBI releases the latest data from its annual Uniform Crime Reporting Program.

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Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

New @CDCgov report finds that ER visits for suicides plummeted for teens 12-17, particularly girls between 2021 and 2025. This continues a multi-year improvement in youth #mentalhealth even as screen/#socialmedia/#smartphone/#ai use remains at all time highs. www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes...

Emergency Department Visits ...

This report describes numbers of emergency department visits for suspected suicide attempts during 2021–2025.

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

As I turn 55, I reflect on aging. It’s inevitable, but why do we fear it so much? Are we doomed to wave our canes at the kids while sliding into the grave? Or are there ways to ease the passage? Have a read! And happy birthday to me. grimoiremanor.substack.com/p/on-aging

grimoiremanor.substack.com

The Grim Reaper comes for us all. But how do we best prepare for his arrival?

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Is using sunscreen associated with INCREASED skin cancer? Grimoire Manor answers this question once and for all with a look at a study making its rounds through social media Paid post for this one, so do consider subscribing & promoting the cause of good science. open.substack.com/pub/grimoire...

open.substack.com

Is Sunscreen Use Associated with Increased Skin Cancers?

A study with bivariate correlations suggest associations may be major, but do they hold once confounders are controlled?

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Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

A bit of a diversion for today as Grimoire Manor considers one of the most crucial questions of our time: Which was the best tank of WW2? Have a read and share your thoughts on this most pressing of issues! (and yes, the cover image is a WWI tank alas!) open.substack.com/pub/grimoire...

open.substack.com

Which Was the Best Tank of WWII?

Forget politics, this is the question of the day...

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Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Everyone today seems to want kids to live like it was the 80s again. Except the 80s kinda sucked for many kids who actually lived it. I discuss today! grimoiremanor.substack.com/p/why-is-eve...

grimoiremanor.substack.com

Why is Everybody Nostalgic About the 80s?

Aside from the music, the decade mostly sucked for kids.

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Today, Grimoire Manor plunges into one of the biggest debates of the Mommy Wars: How much benefit does the average baby get from breastfeeding versus bottle feeding? Is bottle feeding the doom of babies? Or are we needlessly shaming many mothers? open.substack.com/pub/grimoire...

open.substack.com

Is Breastfeeding Better Than Bottle Feeding for Infant IQ, Infections and Maternal Bonding?

Discerning the line between true benefits and unnecessary guilt and shame

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Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

There’s considerable panic about the impact of AI on education. One issue that seems legitimate is that AI is killing the college take-home essay. But maybe it deserved to die anyway? grimoiremanor.substack.com/p/the-routin...

grimoiremanor.substack.com

The Routine Take-Home Writing Assignment is Dead

AI killed it, but maybe it deserved to die?

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Does telling kids not to run with scissors reduce injuries? Do child safety programs work to reduce harm to kids? Do kids listen to us at all? All the answers can be found at Grimoire Manor today! open.substack.com/pub/grimoire...

open.substack.com

Running With Scissors

Do safety axioms actually make kids behave more responsibly? Also: how much child safety do we really want anyway?

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Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

My new study finds that adverse childhood events, but not age of acquisition of #smartphones or #tablets is related to young adult #mentalhealth. Can read at: www.clinicalneuropsychiatry.org/download/adv...

clinicalneuropsychiatry.org

Adverse Childhood Events, Not Age of Acquiring Smartphones or Tablets, Predict Mental Health in Young Adults | Clinical Neuropsychiatry

by Christopher J. Ferguson Abstract Objective: recent years have seen considerable attention to concerns regarding youth access to screens. Many professional bodies and clinicians have advised parents...

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Today I look at the #EdTech panic? Were schools right to include more technology in classrooms? Are some parents/activists right to demand technology be removed? Should we go back to clay tablets and the abacus? Find out in today’s essay! open.substack.com/pub/grimoire...

open.substack.com

Has the Adoption of EdTech in Schools Caused a Learning Crisis?

This past year has seen increasing angst over the issue of EdTech, or the use of education technology in schools.

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Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Proponents of #socialmedia bans for teens suggest that teens themselves want them. A new study addresses this directly. Do young adults regret the time they spent on social media as teens. And does that regret influence their current #mental health? Have a read! open.substack.com/pub/grimoire...

open.substack.com

Do Teens Regret Their Social Media Use?

Like so many other parts of this narrative, more broad claims are unraveling

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Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

My written evidence to the UK Parliament regarding #socialmedia bans. I note the issue of moral panic, & the UK's unfortunate promotion of bad research designs. The UK is wasting people's time at the potential cost of significant #freespeech concerns. committees.parliament.uk/writtenevide...

committees.parliament.uk

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Great essay by @CollegeFix fellow Daniel Nuccio on today's current #moralpanic regarding #socialmedia and youth #mentalhealth. www.msn.com/en-us/lifest...

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Today I have a look at a new survey finding a majority of people, including a majority of parents, would exclude young children from fancy restaurants. This is an issue with surprisingly passionate arguments. Is it possible to find a compromise? grimoiremanor.substack.com/p/should-scr...

grimoiremanor.substack.com

Should Screaming Babies Be Allowed in Fancy Restaurants?

One of the endless battles in the parenting wars.

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Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

New study suggest young adults don't have many regrets about teen time spent on #sociamedia. And when they do have regrets, they don't correlate with life satisfaction. Trying to get a copy of the study... journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...

journals.sagepub.com

Regrets, I’ve Had a Few; But Then Again, Time on Social Media May Not Be One of Them - Eoin Whelan, 2026

The issue of whether social media use does or does not influence adolescent well-being remains a pressing concern for policymakers, parents, and researchers. As...

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Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

In my essay today I look at Harvard, universities and the problem of grade inflation. Grade inflation is clearly a real problem, but will grade caps actually fix student learning or just hand red meat to online grouches? Have a read and find out! grimoiremanor.substack.com/p/will-grade...

grimoiremanor.substack.com

Will Grade Caps Improve Student Learning?

If you came here for optimist, you must be a new reader...

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

A bit of long-form investigation today. I look at the “Fear Industry”…politicians, news media, scholars and companies that profit from making us continually anxious about everything. Paid post today…subscribe to get some helpful hints on how not to be a rube. open.substack.com/pub/grimoire...

open.substack.com

All We Have to Fear (or Profit From) Is Fear Itself

A long-form report on how entire industries keep us anxious to squeeze profits from us.

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

Serious doubts now behind the calculations in the FT's "fertility decline/smartphone" piece. x.com/joefrancis50...

joseph francis on X: "By extracting the data from the @FT's smartphones-and-fertility chart, I was able to replicate it and reverse engineer how @jburnmurdoch may have calculated it. Seatbelts on. 1/7 https://t.co/B296vG7D2x" / X

By extracting the data from the @FT's smartphones-and-fertility chart, I was able to replicate it and reverse engineer how @jburnmurdoch may have calculated it. Seatbelts on. 1/7 https://t.co/B296vG7D2x

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

In a brief post, Will Dobud points out how the Financial Times’ recent post on smartphones and declining fertility is based on dubious graphs and silly made up critical points like “smartphones take off”. Will’s article: willdobud.substack.com/p/nothing-se...

grimoiremanor.substack.com

No, Conscientiousness Hasn't Collapsed Among Young People in Recent Years

How the Financial Times created a misleading meme and contributed to the firehose of nonsense on screen panic

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Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Today I look at the (probably deliberate) enshittification of coach air travel by major carriers. Are we all doomed to fly business class in the future or not at all? Have a read! grimoiremanor.substack.com/p/the-enshit...

grimoiremanor.substack.com

The Enshittification of Coach Air Travel

Big carries appear to be deliberately trying to force most passengers out of the cheap seats.

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

A new study last week found that cellphone bans in schools (at least of the locked pouch variety) don’t work. But did it have limitations? And will it end debates about the effectiveness of school cellphone bans? Read to find out! open.substack.com/pub/grimoire...

open.substack.com

A New Study Spells Bad News for Cellphone Bans

The study everyone's talking about (last week) but how conclusive is it?

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

My latest examines the unexpected furor over teens not having enough sex/dating/babies? Can teens just not win when it comes to older adults complaining? grimoiremanor.substack.com/p/teens-are-...

grimoiremanor.substack.com

Teens Are Having Less Sex and That's....Bad?

Teens just can't win when it comes to old people complaining.

Chris Ferguson @cjferguson1111.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

Youth (10-24) #suicide and drug overdose data (concentrated in their parents' generation). Correlation (r = .89). Further implication youth #mentalhealth was substantially trickle-down from their parents/family issues. There's no similar pattern for screens (graphs on that soon-ish).