The Anxious Generation

Outline

The Anxious Generation (2024) explains why rates of anxiety and depression among young people rose sharply in the early 2010s. Jonathan Haidt argues that childhood shifted from play-based to phone-based, as smartphones and social media replaced free play and face-to-face time. He proposes four practical reforms, including no smartphones before high school and phone-free schools, to help children grow up healthier.

• Anxiety and depression among young people rose sharply in the early 2010s, and Haidt traces the rise to a change in how children grow up.
• Childhood shifted from play-based to phone-based as smartphones and social media replaced free play and face-to-face time.
• Haidt proposes four practical reforms to help children grow up healthier, rather than only describing the problem.
• One reform is no smartphones before high school, and another is schools where phones are not allowed.
• The book's aim is to protect childhood by restoring real-world play, genuine connection, independence, and emotional resilience.

Jonathan Haidt is an American social psychologist and professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business. His research focuses on morality, emotion, and how technology affects young people. His books include The Happiness Hypothesis, The Righteous Mind, The Coddling of the American Mind, and The Anxious Generation.