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The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness
THE NO.1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER A TIMES, FT, ECONOMIST AND INDEPENDENT BOOK OF THE YEAR ‘Boundlessly wise . . . important and engrossing’ The New York Times ‘One of the most important books I’ve read . . . It’s absolutely brilliant’…
- Release Date
- 2024
- Length
- 280 pages
- Publisher
- Random House
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Our Review
About the book
Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues that the rapid shift from play-based to phone-based childhood in the early 2010s helped drive rising rates of anxiety and depression among adolescents. He proposes collective reforms including phone-free schools, later social media access and more independent play.
Our review
A persuasive, urgently argued case for rethinking kids and smartphones, with evidence that is more contested than it sounds.
Haidt is a strong explainer, and this is his most action-minded book. He sets out a clear timeline, a set of mechanisms such as sleep loss, social comparison and fragmented attention, and specific reforms that families and schools can actually adopt. The case that overprotecting children in real life while underprotecting them online has backfired is especially sharp. Parents will come away with talking points and a sense that coordinated action is possible.
The book’s confidence outruns the research. Several prominent scholars argue that the data linking social media to teen mental health are weaker and more mixed than Haidt presents them, and alternative explanations get relatively brief treatment. The sections on gender differences and on spirituality also feel less rigorous. His recommendations are sensible enough to try anyway, but readers should know a real scientific debate is going on.
What we loved
- Concrete, practical reforms
- A compelling argument for restoring free play
- Clear charts and accessible explanations
Keep in mind
- Causal claims are disputed by other researchers
- Some later chapters feel speculative
Read it if you like
Readers of The Coddling of the American Mind, iGen or Stolen Focus, and parents debating a first phone.
The verdict
Important and persuasive, if overconfident. Act on the advice and keep an eye on the debate.
