The Anxious Generation

How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness

English language

Published 2024 by Penguin Publishing Group.

ISBN:
978-0-593-65503-0
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4 stars (7 reviews)

2 editions

Some decent points, overall an overhyped book

No rating

I read this because I am an educator and because I have a toddler that will be growing up in a world that favors screen time above all else. Some things are definitely worth considering (like allowing kids to have more unstructured time and responsibilities) but there’s almost no call to reform social media. There’s an explanation about why they are addicting and a push to get kids on it later, even some suggestions for legislation but almost nothing about protecting consumer privacy and the algorithms that highlight information about eating disorders to young users. Social media needs to be regulated. Otherwise banning screens at school will do little when kids are awake at 2am still scrolling. The book also suggests that the increase in people that are transgender is the latest “internet fad” which was an unnecessary paragraph in my opinion.

Review of 'The Anxious Generation' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

If you combine this book with Pete Etchells' Unlocked: The Real Science of Screen Time, you'll probably find a good balance of information on this subject. There are other books on this subject which will likely highlight other angles, I just haven't read them yet. ;)

Jonathan clearly understands the situation we are in, but appears to have very black and white thinking on this subject, which is an honestly natural and completely human reaction to watching two generations of kids seriously damaged by smartphones, in real time.

We can absolutely pull Gen Alpha back from the brink, but Gen Z will be the most scarred by indiscriminate access to social media via smartphones.

There are a couple of areas I didn't agree with at all, but I will keep those to myself as I think they are important as discussion points, but not to the extent implied.

I didn't …

Lays out the issue well, disappointing past that

3 stars

This book started off really strongly, discussing something that is up there with climate change for me as a crisis everyone seems aware of but doesn't really ever move in a positive direction.

I resonate with a lot of what Haidt says even though I feel like I only caught the early beginnings of this with myspace and mmos. I can't imagine what it would be like to grow up now with social media a huge fixture of my life.

The second half of the book was very disappointing, it felt like he repeats the same two or three collective action points which left me feeling a bit hopeless. I do wonder whether it is too late and we need to lean into changing social media into a positive force and supporting kids using it.

The idea of risky play and overly defensive parenting also strikes a chord, but as …

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