Every once in a while I read a book that demands a response. Every once in a while, I read a book and find myself talking about it with everyone. And, every once in a while, I read a book that YOU MUST READ. That is The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt.
The Anxious Generation is an alarm sounding for all parents, schools, tech companies, and governments as to why teen mental illness cases are skyrocketing, how social media is downright dangerous to girls, and how boys are lulled into the virtual world and fail to launch into the real world resulting in disastrous consequences. Through research, Haidt outlines how a “phone-based childhood” has replaced the “play-based childhood”, leading to a “great rewiring of childhood” that fails miserably to prepare our kids for adulthood. However, after all of the doom and gloom, he offers clear calls to action for parents, teachers, schools, tech companies, and governments. It’s an all-skate.
If you are a parent, teacher, or even just love a child, I strongly encourage you to read this book. While this book isn’t faith-based (Haidt actually claims to be atheist), much of his research and his conclusions align with what Scripture says about relationships, family, education, and responsibilities. I don’t know that I’ve ever read a book that convicted me so strongly for the ways I’ve ignorantly and foolishly interacted with technology like smartphones, social media, and the internet; and, inspired me to make drastic changes in my home like leaving my phone face down with notifications turned off…except for when it rings because a friend or family member is actually calling. Doom scrolling has to stop.
Anyway, I hope you’ll find a copy of The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. You’ll be glad you did.