The Anxious Generation

Author Jonathan Haidt
Narrator Sean Pratt
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Run Time 10 hours and 32 minutes
Format Audio
Genre Child, developmental and lifespan psychology, Family and health, Impact of science and technology on society, Popular psychology, Science: general issues, Self-help, personal development and practical advice, Social, group or collective psychology, Society and Social Sciences, Teenagers: advice for parents.

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

An urgent and insightful investigation into the collapse in youth mental health, from the influential social psychologist and international bestselling author

After more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents in many countries around the world deteriorated suddenly in the early 2010s. Why have rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicide risen so sharply, more than doubling in many cases?

In this book, Social Psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues that the decline of free-play in childhood and the rise of smartphone usage among adolescents are the twin sources of increased mental distress among teenagers.
Haidt delves into the latest psychological and biological research to show how, between 2010 and 2015, childhood and adolescence got rewired. As teens traded in their flip phones for smartphones packed with social media apps, time online soared while time engaging face-to-face with friends and family plummeted, and so did mental health. This profound shift took place against a backdrop of diminishing childhood freedom, as parents over-supervised every aspect of their children’s lives offline, depriving them of the experiences they most need to become strong and self-governing adults.

The Anxious Generation reveals the fundamental ways in which this shift from free-play to smartphones disrupts development – from sleep deprivation to addiction – with separate in-depth analyses of the impact on girls and boys. Grounded in ancient wisdom and packed full of cutting-edge science, this eye-opening book is a life raft and a powerful call-to-arms, offering practical advice for parents, schools, governments, and teens themselves.

©2024 Jonathan Haidt (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critics Review

If this important book rings enough alarms to make politicians impose a genuine social media ban on children, I believe most parents would be happy and most teenagers happier
The Times, Book of the Week
Urgent and essential . . . it ought to become a foundational text for the growing movement to keep smartphones out of schools, and young children off social media
Guardian
Compelling, readable, remarkably persuasive . . . methodically sets out the problem, the harm it’s causing and what we can do about it . . . a clarion-call to parents everywhere
Telegraph
Deals seriously with counter-arguments and gaps in the evidence . . . all the suggestions sound sensible. Some even sound fun
Economist
Shows how smartphones have damaged the teenage mind . . . interweaving distressing analysis alongside practical advice
New Statesman
The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt sets out inarguable evidence that smartphones are fuelling an anxiety epidemic among young people — and big tech must do more to reverse it … an extremely important and compelling read… I can’t recommend this book highly enough; everyone should read it. It is a game-changer for society
Irish Independent
a persuasive and rousing argument
Evening Standard
An urgent and provocative read on why so many kids are not okay—and how to course correct. . . . even if you’re not ready to ban smartphones until high school, this book will challenge you to rethink how we nurture the potential in our kids and prepare them for the world
author of Think Again
Jonathan Haidt is a modern-day prophet, disguised as a psychologist. In this book, he’s back to warn us of the dangers of a phone-based childhood. He points the way forward to a brighter, stronger future for us all
author of Quiet
This is a crucial read for parents of children of elementary school age and beyond, who face the rapidly changing landscape of childhood. Haidt lays out problems but also solutions for making a better digital life with kids
author of Expecting Better
Every single parent needs to stop what they are doing and read this book immediately. Jonathan Haidt is the most important psychologist in the world today, and this is the most important book on the topic that’s reshaping your child’s life right now
author of Stolen Focus
This key book deserves attention
Independent

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