We’ve been blaming screens for anxious kids. A new study points to a completely different culprit

Nope, for once it’s not the phones. Psychologists say something else is to blame for rising perfectionism. As a kid, I was a perfectionist who had meltdowns if I colored even a little outside the lines. Arguably, my unrealistic standards for myself might have helped me perform better in school. But I still wouldn’t recommend them to anyone. My perfectionism didn’t just make me cranky and hard to deal with. (Sorry, Mom.) It also often prevented me from engaging in the messy but essential process of trying new things, screwing up, and learning from experience.