The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness

This book really surprised me by the extend of knowledge and really good points. Quite scientific style of thinking which is great quality read. Nicely printed as well

Speedy delivery. Wow! I have just started the book and it is difficult to put down. The author manages to pinpoint those tiny daily activities that children and young adults do everyday on their devices and social media, that in a busy life we don't often notice, but so many additional issues spiderweb out from those small habits to form a complete change in the way of thinking, navigating daily life and decimating he ability to build resiliance .Definitely a must read!

Every book is written with at least one objective in mind, and the over-riding consideration in the evaluation of a book must be the extent to which it achieves its stated objective. On that basis Jonathan Haidt’s book THE ANXIOUS GENERATION is maybe 80% there, I give it four stars.The book was written with two objectives in one. These are firstly to highlight the damage done to children and young people by the advent of the smartphone and suggest strategies for reining in its negative effects, and secondly to make the case for a return to the kind of play-based (as opposed to phone-based) childhood that those born before 2000 experienced. On the first, it succeeds admirably. On the second it is less convincing and, on a few occasions, appears to champion the undoing of decades of necessary progress in the field of child protection.It is refreshing to see short, clear recommendations for curbing the pernicious influence of smartphones on our children. Among them are ; device-specific age verification, phone-free schools (increasingly common in the UK, thankfully). It is also helpful to see the real dangers of a phone-based childhood reduced to four bullet points (addiction, attention fragmentation, social deprivation and sleep deprivation) and see all these points explained with reference to many specific examples.Haidt’s vision of a reversion to the play-based childhoods of decades past is not quite so convincing. Perhaps his choice of examples is partly to blame. His praise of clearly outdated rituals, such as the public celebration of a girl’s first period, or the circumcision of a boy at puberty to mark his transition to manhood and the associated public celebration, must appear truly horrific to most western countries, rightly so. Surely allowing a girl to go through her first period in private, and a boy to retain his foreskin from cradle to grave, do not amount to over-protection. Haidt is writing from a US perspective, and in the US neonatal circumcision has been the norm in some states for many years (although rates are declining in others). Nevertheless, for a book that is designed for a global audience, one questions the wisdom of this particular example.One demerit point deserves to be awarded for the apparent failure to recognise certain economic and social changes that have taken place in recent decades, and which make Haidt’s vision of old-fashioned play less viable in the 2020s, at least in a UK context. It is acknowledged again that his work is focused on the US, but the same is true to a certain extent in both countries. The health services in both the UK and the US are not best equipped to deal with an increase in playground injuries caused by the reintroduction of the merry-go-rounds that he favours. Nor can they cope with the increase in head injuries that would result from encouraging more children to cycle on poorly maintained roads. Haidt is absolutely right in saying that some risk is a necessary part of any hero’s journey, but unnecessary and avoidable risks should not be advocated when they generate heavy economic and social costs in the 2020s, even if they did not do so in the 1960s.That said, Haidt is absolutely right to criticise the “busybody vigilante” culture that as resulted in parents being reported to the police for allowing 10-year-old children to be out alone. What he does not do, and could usefully have done, is recommended that police prosecute such busybodies for wasting police time, rather than the parents for allowing their children out alone. Such heavy-handed measures are necessary to restore a sense of perspective which is vital to achieving the childhood independence which he supports.Each chapter ends with a summary of the main recommendations, which is always very helpful. Haidt has certainly done his homework, as is evidenced by the 400 references contained in the back of the book.After reading the book dispassionately, it is easy to conclude that a sensible balance between a play-based childhood and a phone-based one is what 2020s children really need. It is not clear whether Haidt intended us to draw this conclusion, and he willingly admits that he may be wrong on some points. However, that does not detract from the book’s overall appeal. I give it four stars, which is not the full five but is still a well-deserved good mark.

Amazing book a must readI went on to read his other booksReally entertaining, straight to the pointInteresting statisticsFact based evidenceMade me uninstall my social media and focus more on my daughterMakes you more conscious of your decisions and of your timeStop doom scrolling!

Read and gifted my friend with a young child

This book is a must for any parent of a teen or younger. I think there’s a trend where parents are becoming less likely to give younger kids a smartphone and if you’re on the fence this book will help you make your decision!!

An easy read with a good, positive message for parents and teens. I found the book can be summed up in a chapter so expect some repetition.

This is an important book for all parents and teachers to read. What is happening to children because of new technology needs to be studied and addressed and this book is a great step and provides excellent guidance. However, the author’s analogies with Mars and prison are ridiculous, and his government and technology solutions are more problematic than helpful. Young adults can be trusted both to work and use technology, not just one or the other. The technology cat is out of the bag too, and kids need guidance more than government force or parental hovering. Great presentation of technological impacts, but the author’s solutions are as problematic as they are helpful.