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The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness Hardcover – March 26, 2024

by Jonathan Haidt (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 3,956 ratings
Amazon Charts #8 this week
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THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A must-read for all parents: the generation-defining investigation into the collapse of youth mental health in the era of smartphones, social media, and big tech—and a plan for a healthier, freer childhood.

“Erudite, engaging, combative, crusading.” —New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)

“Words that chill the parental heart… thanks to Mr. Haidt, we can glimpse the true horror of what happened not only in the U.S. but also elsewhere in the English-speaking world… lucid, memorable… galvanizing.” —Wall Street Journal

“[An] important new book... The shift in kids’ energy and attention from the physical world to the virtual one, Haidt shows, has been catastrophic, especially for girls.” —Michelle Goldberg, The New York Times

After more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents plunged in the early 2010s. Rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide rose sharply, more than doubling on many measures. Why?

In The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt lays out the facts about the epidemic of teen mental illness that hit many countries at the same time. He then investigates the nature of childhood, including why children need play and independent exploration to mature into competent, thriving adults. Haidt shows how the “play-based childhood” began to decline in the 1980s, and how it was finally wiped out by the arrival of the “phone-based childhood” in the early 2010s. He presents more than a dozen mechanisms by which this “great rewiring of childhood” has interfered with children’s social and neurological development, covering everything from sleep deprivation to attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social contagion, social comparison, and perfectionism. He explains why social media damages girls more than boys and why boys have been withdrawing from the real world into the virtual world, with disastrous consequences for themselves, their families, and their societies.

Most important, Haidt issues a clear call to action. He diagnoses the “collective action problems” that trap us, and then proposes four simple rules that might set us free. He describes steps that parents, teachers, schools, tech companies, and governments can take to end the epidemic of mental illness and restore a more humane childhood.

Haidt has spent his career speaking truth backed by data in the most difficult landscapes—communities polarized by politics and religion, campuses battling culture wars, and now the public health emergency faced by Gen Z. We cannot afford to ignore his findings about protecting our children—and ourselves—from the psychological damage of a phone-based life.
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  1. Print length
    400 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Penguin Press
  4. Publication date
    March 26, 2024
  5. Dimensions
    6.31 x 1.26 x 9.53 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0593655036
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0593655030
  8. See all details
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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
3,956 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book extremely insightful, informative, and well-written. They appreciate the excellent research and calls to action for childhood development. Readers also describe the book as a good, easy read that is a must-read for parents, teachers, and anyone who's interested in a critical issue.

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InsightReadability
132 customers mention "Insight"129 positive3 negative

Customers find the book insightful, informative, and well-written. They appreciate the excellent research and calls to action for childhood development. Readers also say the book is full of harrowing data demonstrating the causal relationship between cell. They say it makes a lot of sense and deserves serious attention.

"Please read this book. It is a heavy read,but is based on heavy research...." Read more

"This book is a very good read filled with lots of research." Read more

"...And he does: His book is full of data and is perfectly convincing...." Read more

"...Because of that, The Anxious Generation is one of the most important nonfiction books I have read this year, perhaps in several years...." Read more

113 customers mention "Readability"98 positive15 negative

Customers find the book easy to read, well-written, and informative. They say it contains an easy-to-understand argument for how and why screen devices are. Readers also mention the message is clear.

"...It is a heavy read,but is based on heavy research. It is a must read for parents, grandparent,teachers, and all those who love and are concerned..." Read more

"What a fantastic and extremely insightful book on the internet and social media platforms as they've unfolded over the years...." Read more

"...But the back half of this book is full of extremely practical steps, application points, and "rules" for ensuring your children don't have their..." Read more

"...It is an enjoyable read that contains an easy to understand argument for how and why screen devices are tanking our kids’ mental health and reducing..." Read more

Technology and Play Affect Children
5 out of 5 stars
Technology and Play Affect Children
Haidt, J. (2024). The anxious generation: How the great rewiring of childhood is causing an epidemic of mental illness. Penguin Press.Jonathan Haidt is a social psychologist at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992.The Great Rewiring is a phenomenon Haidt attributes to the first generation (Gen Z) to likely grow up with a smartphone combined with parenting shifts toward "overprotecting children and restricting their autonomy in the real world." Haidt asserted, "By designing a firehose of addictive content. . . . and by displacing physical play and in-person socializing," social media "rewired childhood and changed human development on an almost unimaginable scale." The amount of time children spend on their phone contributes to social deprivation, sleep deprivation, attention fragmentation, and addiction. Haidt presents arguments supported by research for why girls' and boys' anxieties are increasing, and mental health is decreasing. Research shows that girls' social lives moved toward social media while boys immersed themselves in video games and hardcore pornography. Haidt found, "social media harms girls more than boys. . . boys are at greater risk than girls for 'failure to launch'." Research also shows that "social media use is a cause, not just a correlate of anxiety and depression." The book's four parts walks the reader through Haidt's arguments: statistics about children's mental health, decline of the play-based childhood and repercussions, the rise of the phone-based childhood including how it affects girls and boys differently, and practical suggestions for government, school, and parental collective action.My brothers and I grew up able to run around the neighborhood and play. It wasn't that we ran amok (ha ha) but I don't recall a great deal of oversight or rules about our play and exploration of the neighborhood. This idea of parenting shifts in response to stranger danger type threats wherein children retreated indoors with a higher level of parental supervision is something new for me. Something I read before but really sunk in with Haidt's presentation was how the reduction of play occurred around the same time that children were exposed to the Internet and then cell phone technology. A retreat inside meant the use of technology to garner children's attention and eventually access to smart phones with free, 24/7 accessibility including unlimited access to social media. Parents and teachers should read this book. It's not an easy read, rather sobering in its effect but Haidt offers strategies suggestive of ways forward. This book would also be good for those interested in technology and human development, mental health, gender studies, and public policies.
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Top reviews from the United States

Karren Ashley
5.0 out of 5 stars please read this book6
Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2024
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Please read this book. It is a heavy read,but is based on heavy research. It is a must read for parents, grandparent,teachers, and all those who love and are concerned about our beloved children and the outcome of their lives. After you have read it share your thoughts and with others
15 people found this helpful
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It is me
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2024
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This book is a very good read filled with lots of research.
One person found this helpful
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Robert H.
4.0 out of 5 stars Impressive, Valuable, If Somewhat Repetitive
Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2024
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At breakfast with a member of our local Board of Ed, I asked what is behind the growth industry of psychologists, psychiatrists, and counselors in our (and all) school districts. I asked why we unquestioningly welcome the increase in the number of troubled students and wanted to know the root cause of all this malaise. He replied "Social media on mobile phones." Then he told me about this book.
Haidt appears to be at the cutting edge of diagnosing the social, emotional, and physical effects of social media. Right up front, he outlines the topics he will tackle in this book and how he will propose to help solve the problems. And he does: His book is full of data and is perfectly convincing. My observation is that he could achieve all his goals more effectively with less repetition, side dalliances, and bloat. One gets the message much sooner and more often than the book demands.
Still! If you recall the big move to delay school start times in the morning because the data supported the benefits, you should make an appointment with the Superintendent, as I have, to ask what they intend to do about the damage caused by the carpet bombing of developing minds by empty - and emptying - social media.
27 people found this helpful
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Daniel Burton
5.0 out of 5 stars Kids need to be social, not on social media
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2024
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After finishing Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation, I couldn’t wait to recommend it to my family, friends, and others. I truly believe this book is a must-read for anyone with a smartphone, children, or, well, a pulse. Smartphones’ impact has been so fast and pervasive in our culture that we are only beginning to understand how they are changing us.

Because of that, The Anxious Generation is one of the most important nonfiction books I have read this year, perhaps in several years. While many have expressed concern about the impact of mobile phones and social media on our youth, Haidt has made it his mission to uncover the symptoms, explain the effects, and convince us to change how we raise our kids regarding phones and social media.

The insights provided in The Anxious Generation make a compelling case for reevaluating the age at which we give our children phones, the extent of their Internet and social media access, and the value of free play. Haidt argues that smartphones, social media, and helicopter parenting have contributed to a decline in the mental well-being of young people. The book offers practical solutions crucial for fostering the emotional maturity and stability of our children and ourselves.

At the book’s center are four cultural norms Haidt argues we must implement to address the mental health crisis among our youth. These norms serve as a framework for his argument and practical solutions.

First, no smartphones before high school. Parents should delay children’s entry into round-the-clock internet access by giving them only basic phones (phones with limited apps and no internet browser) before ninth grade (roughly 14).

Second, no social media before 16. Let kids get through the most vulnerable period of brain development before connecting them to a constant stream of social comparison and algorithmically chosen influencers, which can significantly impact their self-esteem and mental health.

Next, phone-free schools. All elementary through high school, students should store their phones, smartwatches, and other personal devices to send or receive texts in phone lockers or locked pouches during the school day. This policy is crucial in creating a distraction-free environment that allows students to focus on their studies and social interactions.

And, last, far more unsupervised play and childhood independence. That’s the way children naturally develop social skills, overcome anxiety, and become self-governing young adults.

Some money quotes?

“My central claim in this book is that these two trends—overprotection in the real world and underprotection in the virtual world—are the major reasons why children born after 1995 became the anxious generation.”
“People don’t get depressed when they face threats collectively; they get depressed when they feel isolated, lonely, or useless.”
“The two big mistakes we’ve made: overprotecting children in the real world (where they need to learn from vast amounts of direct experience) and underprotecting them online (where they are particularly vulnerable during puberty).”
“While the reward-seeking parts of the brain mature earlier, the frontal cortex—essential for self-control, delay of gratification, and resistance to temptation—is not up to full capacity until the mid-20s, and preteens are at a particularly vulnerable point in development”
“In this new phone-based childhood, free play, attunement, and local models for social learning are replaced by screen time, asynchronous interaction, and influencers chosen by algorithms. Children are, in a sense, deprived of childhood.”
“We don’t let preteens buy tobacco or alcohol, or enter casinos. The costs of using social media, in particular, are high for adolescents, compared with adults, while the benefits are minimal. Let children grow up on Earth first, before sending them to Mars.”
“Stress wood is a perfect metaphor for children, who also need to experience frequent stressors in order to become strong adults.”
“Children can only learn how to not get hurt in situations where it is possible to get hurt, such as wrestling with a friend, having a pretend sword fight, or negotiating with another child to enjoy a seesaw when a failed negotiation can lead to pain in one’s posterior, as well as embarrassment. When parents, teachers, and coaches get involved, it becomes less free, less playful, and less beneficial. Adults usually can’t stop themselves from directing and protecting.”
“By designing a firehose of addictive content that entered through kids’ eyes and ears, and by displacing physical play and in-person socializing, these companies have rewired childhood and changed human development on an almost unimaginable scale.”
“Gen Z became the first generation in history to go through puberty with a portal in their pockets that called them away from the people nearby and into an alternative universe that was exciting, addictive, unstable, and—as I will show—unsuitable for children and adolescents.”
“Over the course of many decades, we found ways to protect children while mostly allowing adults to do what they want. Then quite suddenly, we created a virtual world where adults could indulge any momentary whim, but children were left nearly defenseless. As evidence mounts that phone-based childhood is making our children mentally unhealthy, socially isolated, and deeply unhappy, are we okay with that trade-off? Or will we eventually realize, as we did in the 20th century, that we sometimes need to protect children from harm even when it inconveniences adults?”
“We are embodied creatures; children should learn how to manage their bodies in the physical world before they start spending large amounts of time in the virtual world.”
“One way that companies get more users is by failing to enforce their own rules prohibiting users under 13. In August 2019, I had a video call with Mark Zuckerberg, who, to his credit, was reaching out to a wide variety of people, including critics. I told him that when my children started middle school, they each said that most of the kids in their class (who were 10 or 11 at the start of sixth grade) had Instagram accounts. I asked Zuckerberg what he planned to do about that. He said, “But we don’t allow anyone under 13 to open an account.” I told him that before our call I had created a fake account for a fictional 13-year-old girl and I encountered no attempt to verify my age claim. He said, “We’re working on that.” While writing this chapter (in August 2023), I effortlessly created another fake account. There is still no age verification, even though age verification techniques have gotten much better in the last four years nor is there any disincentive for preteens to lie about their age.”
“Our kids can do so much more than we let them. Our culture of fear has kept this truth from us. They are like racehorses stuck in the stable.”
“Many of the best adventures are going to happen with other children in free play.
“And when that play includes kids of mixed ages, the learning is deepened because children learn best by trying something that is just a little beyond their current abilities— in other words, something a slightly older kid is doing. Older kids can also benefit from interacting with younger kids, taking on the role of a teacher or older sibling. So, the best thing you can do for your young children is to give them plenty of playtime, with some age diversity, and a secure loving base from which they set off to play.

“As for your own interactions with your child, they don’t have to be “optimized.” You don’t have to make every second special or educational.

“It’s a relationship, not a class. But what you do often matters far more than what you say, so watch your own phone habits. Be a good role model who is not giving continuous partial attention to both the phone and the child.”
140 people found this helpful
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Brandon Longwell
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely great read!!
Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2024
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I work in the psych field with adolescents and wow this book changed my world view. Excellent research and calls to action for childhood development & to create a healthy balance with our ever changing technology. 10/10!!
12 people found this helpful
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Caro
5.0 out of 5 stars Very educational, data and solution driven book. A must read for parents!
Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2024
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What a fantastic and extremely insightful book on the internet and social media platforms as they've unfolded over the years. Very data heavy book and it was exceptionally organized. A must read for parents and honestly anyone who is curious about the role and results of social media.
12 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Alden
5.0 out of 5 stars it’s a thing
Reviewed in Canada on September 21, 2024
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As a support staff in a large high school I see the enormous impact smartphones have on the learning environment. So much of what this book offers is common sense and reflects parenting and growing up in the not-too-distant path. And many students I encounter are being parented in this way. They have jobs, play sports, join clubs, travel, etc. But not most. Too many bright and promising teens are having their very futures compromised as the online world lures them away from engagement in the real world. We must intervene.
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M. A. Mus
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente libro con información documentada de las consecuencias del smartphone y las redes
Reviewed in Mexico on August 22, 2024
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Los daños que están ocasionando las redes y el uso excesivo del celular a la sociedad, sobretodo adolescentes y niños.
Urge tomar acción, es un tema de salud mental y emocional.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Fundamental para evoluirmos nessa discussão
Reviewed in Brazil on June 7, 2024
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Livro fundamental, pois nos tira das discussões baseadas em "achismos" e oferece um leque amplo de dados e estudos que confirmam o que já estamos percebendo na prática: celulares e redes sociais nas mãos de crianças e adolescentes são a causa da epidemia de saúde mental que estamos vivendo.

A infância está morrendo atrás das telas e os pais ainda continuam a acreditar que está tudo bem. Não está tudo bem. E nós (sociedade, famílias, escolas etc). precisamos, com urgência, fazer algo sobre o assunto.
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Ynys Mon1
5.0 out of 5 stars Scary - but positive. Every parent needs to read this.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 24, 2024
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I have read this, digested it and am reading again with notes!

I think we have a serious problem, and this book highlights it, and gives great practical ideas to help put our youth back on the right track.

Parents are a part of the problem, and we all need to do our bit. We have instigated a Sunday ban on social media and gaming, and had kickback but our kids could see the benefit and was lovely to sit around the fire playing board games to gather and chatting and laughing.

I liked th background and explanation to everything he gave, not just - this is why it's a problem, but this is actually scientifically with evidence why this is a problem!!!

Read it and be part of the solution!
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Shreeharsha
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read book.
Reviewed in India on October 11, 2024
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Shreeharsha
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read book.
Reviewed in India on October 11, 2024

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