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

The book is a must read for every parent, and even for every citizen anywhere in the world. The author of THE ANXIOUS GENERATION, Jonathan Haidt, arrives at a horrifying conclusion from scientific studies that smartphones are fatally re-wiring childhood to cause epidemic of mental illness. The Great Re-wiring of Childhood began in this phone-based childhood—2010 to 2015. There were four fundamental harms to a child—sleep deprivation, social deprivation, attention fragmentation and addiction. Nearly 300 pages of text are accompanied by more than 50 pages of notes and references, a further guide for researchers and others interested in taking up these issues highlighted in the book. The book is about new changes occurring in the last decade—since 2010—especially in the ‘virtual world’ at the cost of damage to the ‘real world,’ in the minds of children. The threat by the virtual world on the real world of children is manifesting in the increasing trend in anxiety and depression among children mysteriously from about 2010. The virtual world re-wiring the tender brain-circuits for short-term benefits, which entails long-term costs to navigate in the real world, the interactions and relationships within the families, communities, and larger working environments. In other words, large curtailment in gain from real-life experiences, which is necessary for competition and cooperation in real life. A reader will have the first idea of these dangers of the dreamworld in the introduction: ‘Growing up on Mars.’ The threats become more serious when an ignorant mother herself places the iPhone in front of her infant, and the wide-eyed infant gulps milk or swallow food-bites without embodied experiences. Perhaps a time-saving and hassle-free child care. All are in the grip of ‘virtual world,’ taking too much from our costly time, with little or no return, rather impairing us in ‘real world.’ The anxiety is not limited to young ones, but the consequences are also disastrous to the elder generation also. Therefore the author calls for a ‘collective action’ in the Part-4 of the book. A collective action that is aimed at ‘Bringing Childhood Back to Earth’ from the dreamworld of ‘Growing up on Mars.’ It needs involvement of governments and tech companies, schools, and parents. Though Jonathan Haidt’s two earlier books ‘The Happiness Hypothesis’ and ‘The Righteous Mind’ remind about our cultural and biological foundations of mind, ‘The Anxious Generation' is a RED SIGNAL. This red signal is invisible to most people all over the world. Haidt takes a bold stand, grounded in theory and evidence in the social sciences, to make the red signal not only clearly visible, but makes a fervent plea to everyone to join in a task to reclaim human life.

One of the best books which I have read in recent times. Highly relevant to all - parents , teachers and yongsters.

A very American understanding of how social media skews the world children inhabit today. But pretty effective conversations starters about how parents can cope with the current generational challenges.

Whether you are a parent, teacher, or simply someone interested in the impact of technology on mental health, The Anxious Generation is an essential and eye-opening read. Highly recommended!

Every parent should read this book especially who are born after 1995. A detailed analysis was done on the smart mobile phones which are affecting the children who will be the future of every nation.

Nice book

Teachers and parents must read it.

A must read for millenials and gen z both. It answers almost every problems questions of today's generation. Making us aware about the critical problem it helps us to fix them.

Excellent book. All parents/teachers/change makers should read and absorb the information to protect children for as long as possible. Haidt is incredibly informative, without fear mongering. The stats he uses are very relevant and I really hope people start to listen to the dangers of social media.

Back side was torn

The authors show the problems created for Gen Z with technology but also offer some solutions. We need to work together to address the problems and solutions.

As advertised. Timely delivery.

The Anxious Generation is a powerful and eye-opening look at how modern childhood experiences are shaping mental health. It explains the social, technological, and cultural factors contributing to rising anxiety and depression in kids. Thought-provoking and well-researched, it’s essential reading for parents, educators, and anyone concerned about the next generation.