Haidt, Jonathan. The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. New York: Penguin Press, 2024. $30
Review by: Dr. Brittney Schrick, Ph.D., CFLE
In Jonathan Haidt’s book, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, the author attempts to use population-level data, technology and parenting trends, and popular culture to make sweeping generalizations and prescriptions about the current generation of teens. Although much of his argument feels true, the data he uses to support it is often stretched to, or beyond, its limitations. The book loses focus as the author tries to address common counterarguments, so the outcome is unnecessarily convoluted and confusing. Approximately 100 pages in Part 3 could have been omitted to make for a more compelling case that is better supported by the research.
Introduction
Haidt’s central thesis is that overprotection in the real world through parental supervision, school and community limitation of childhood independence and exploration, and increases in surveillance occurred simultaneously with the rise of social media and underprotection and lack of supervision in the virtual world. Gen Z, as the current generation of older teens and young adults (approximately ages 13 to 27) is commonly called, has come of age in a media environment that opened the vast world of information to them while closing off their own backyards. Because children are physically safe in their own home, parents assume they are safe. Haidt argues that social media is not, in fact, safe, and that the lack of freedom to physically explore, learn, fail, and get hurt leads to consequences that are also unsafe.
Haidt discusses his definition of “Real World” vs. “Virtual World” interactions. He defines RW as embodied (you are there in person), synchronous (they happen in real time), 1-to-1 or 1-to-several interactions (you know with whom you are interacting, and it is limited), and there is a high bar for community entry and exit which motivates community members to invest in relationships and learn how to manage conflict. VW interactions are defined as disembodied (virtual, or not in-person), asynchronous (they don’t happen in real time but as the members participate), 1-to-many interactions/mass broadcasts (you don’t know who might be participating), and there is a low bar for community entry and exit that removes the motivation to invest in relationships and makes them feel disposable.
Part One: The Tidal Wave
In the early years of the smartphone, Pew Research reported that about 1 in 4 teens was “almost constantly” online. By 2022, the number was 46%. Although some of this usage would be on smartphones, it is important to add the context of increased school reliance on technology such as iPads and Chromebooks as well as the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on pushing academic and social interaction to online spaces. The author argues that this largely replaced in-person or “Real World” interaction with online or “Virtual World” interaction. Although increased time spent online does certainly decrease time spent with others IRL, much of the time teens and young adults spend online is spent with others, in real time. Phone calls, video chat, multi-player games, and other online social interactions do not meet all of Haidt’s criteria for the “Virtual World;” in fact, the only one missing is embodiment. So, does that mean that virtual chats and gaming don’t count as real world interaction simply because the parties are not interacting in person? The author acknowledges, much later, that these types of interactions are higher quality and, therefore, fine in moderation.
His solution is “Four Foundational Reforms for a Healthier Digital Childhood:”
1. No smartphones before high school
2. No social media before 16
3. Phone-free schools
4. Increased unsupervised play and childhood independence
In Part I, the author briefly lays out research that, he says, shows an obvious surge of mental health concerns among teenagers that can be linked directly to the emergence and widespread acceptance of smartphones for kids. He refers to the period between 2010 and 2015 as “The Great Rewiring.” Kids and teens were “the test subjects for a radical new way of growing up, far from the real-world interactions of small communities in which humans evolved” (Haidt, 2024, p. 6-7) as they turned toward the “portal in their pockets” and away from the human beings in their proximities. Haidt notes that self-reports of depression among teens, especially girls, began to climb sharply around 2012, emergency department visits and other non-self-report measures increased as well leading to the declaration of a “mental health crisis” among young people.
The central question in Part I is: Is the mental health crisis real? In short, yes. In long, yes, but it’s nuanced. Statistical increases in non-self-report data such as hospitalizations, non-suicidal self-injury, and suicides indicate that something is going on with young people that is different from previous generations. However, it is important to note, as the author does, that some increases in reports of anxiety and depression may be an artifact of less stigma related to mental health conditions as well as a possible increase in pathologizing normal anxiety. Additionally, wider access to mental healthcare nationally, including mandates from the Affordable Care Act for insurance companies and Medicaid to cover mental healthcare, would necessarily increase hospital admissions and expenditures on mental health services. Previous generations would not have had access to mental healthcare at the same levels, and their parents were less likely to seek it for them due to stigma and/or expense.
Part Two: The Backstory – The Decline of the Play-Based Childhood
Part Two provides a thorough and interesting summary of the research surrounding the importance of free play and independent discovery and exploration in childhood. Haidt offers vocabulary and examples to describe observations many adults have made about “these kids today.” Many of the concepts are based in widely accepted research in psychology and human development such as attachment, attunement, and neural plasticity. Others are coined in more pop-psychology venues or from outside of human sciences altogether such as safety-ism and antifragility.
Haidt ends Part Two with a valuable tool he calls “Building a Ladder from Childhood to Adulthood.” In this four-page section, the author lays out a series of milestones he organizes around “even-year birthdays” beginning at age 6. Each description includes suggested increases in freedom and autonomy that take into account Western cultural norms.
Part Three: The Great Rewiring – The Rise of the Phone-Based Childhood
He begins Part Three with an introduction to the Four Foundational Harms:
1. Social deprivation
2. Sleep deprivation
3. Attention fragmentation
4. Addiction
In 30 pages, Haidt does an excellent job outlining these harms and providing supporting research for his points. He offers background from the tech sector on how decisions were made relating to the rollout and eventual ubiquity of social media that have led to the addictive nature of those platforms and of smartphones in general. These include things like the “like” button, push notifications, and the “for you page” and other post suggestions that create an endless scroll (hint: they mimic slot machines).
The remainder of Part Three attempts to build a case for why and how boys and girls experience this mental health crisis differently as well as how screen-based interaction causes “spiritual degradation.” Although he makes some compelling points, the section adds lots of information that isn’t necessary to make the overall point, and some of it is not supported by the research he provides.
Commentary: What to do with information Haidt presents
Generally, Haidt makes some excellent points that are overwhelmed by a litany of anxiety-inducing “to-dos.” Several sections of the book are, in this reviewer’s opinion, unnecessary and detract from the author’s stated intentions of stopping the smartphone-linked mental health decline before it gets worse. The answer Haidt proposes is truly simple: give kids more free time, especially outside, and limit their screen use. The end. “Periodt” …as Gen Z might say. Although his points are well-taken, the warnings and fearmongering presented in the book have become the focus of policy makers and parents who seek easy solutions to a complex issue. These sections ultimately muddy the water and lead the reader to focus on the biggest prescription they can remember at the end: take away kids’ smartphones.
In theory, this is a solution that could address some of the valid concerns outlined in this book. In practice, taking smartphones away without building the physical and social infrastructure kids need to thrive in today’s digital world is not only unlikely, but also irresponsible. According to the US National Center for Health Statistics (Blumberg & Luke, 2024), in late 2023, nearly 87% of children in the US lived in a home that does not have a landline telephone. Some telephone companies do offer landline service, but it is often more expensive than cell service and does not provide data or long-distance calling. Many phone providers offer “landlines” that require an internet connection, and some areas of the US still have very spotty service for broadband. Although funds have been allocated by US Congress to expand rural broadband access, most of the funds have not been distributed, and almost none of the expansion has taken place (NTIA, 2024).
For grown-ups trying to make the best decisions for the children in their lives, books like The Anxious Generation often gain traction. They get a lot of publicity, and the author appears on late night and morning talk shows, podcasts, and other media making their platform and prescriptions appear to have the support of the culture at large. In this case, Jonathan Haidt’s case for limiting smartphone use, especially in schools, has become the catalyst for state governments and local school districts around the country to adopt or expand no cell phone policies. Many schools already had policies in place, but rather than renewing a commitment to enforce the existing policies, interested groups have pushed for the use of locking cell phone pouches or lockers that are expensive to implement and require enforcement in new ways.
Something that often goes unacknowledged in these conversations is that members of Gen Z are aware of many of the drawbacks of their “phone-based childhood.” They know they are online too much and that it affects them in ways that are not well understood. They are open to change, and they are often critical of “iPad kids,” members of Gen Alpha (their younger siblings) who have grown up with iPads and other tablets as their constant companions. It is a mistake to underestimate the awareness that many young people have of the potential damage unlimited smartphone use can do. In this book, the author builds a case for a cultural shift, but he then provides individual prescriptions for how to protect kids from or reverse the damage. At times, he argues for systematic and policy solutions, but he often quickly dismisses them as too difficult or, with the older generational cliché of “We tried that once and it didn’t work.”
The fourth Foundational Reform, increasing unsupervised play and childhood independence, would offer the greatest benefit, but it would require the largest community buy-in and support to improve infrastructure and community conditions. The other, phone-specific, reforms are the easiest to implement, most can be imposed on kids and teens without their input, and all can provide opportunities for costly products to be sold such as “dumb phones,” tracking apps, and lockable phone pouches.
TL;DR (Too long; didn’t read) Key Take-away messages
Overall, the message of The Anxious Generation is one that grown-ups could benefit from hearing:
- Because parents were taught to fear for their children’s physical safety, kids have been deprived of exploratory play experiences that help them develop the cognitive skills they need to be healthy and independent.
- Replacing in-person, possibly risky but definitely free experimental exploration and interaction with the safety-first physical home-based mindset has increased the time kids spend on screens, including smartphones.
- Technology moves faster than most people’s ability to keep up with it, so kids know more about new technology than most of the grown-ups in charge of them and they find ways to get around limits those adults might put in place with their outdated understanding.
- Grown-ups should create opportunities for kids and teens to build their skills by supervising them less when they are playing or exploring the real world and a little more when they are online.
- Wait until they are older to give them smartphones that have access to the whole wide world of the internet and wait until they are old enough to drive until they can access the wild world of social media.
Where can I look for more information about this topic:
Waituntil8th.org: Resources and research for grown-ups who want to build a culture that limits smartphone use.
American Academy of Pediatrics Center of Excellence for Social Media and Youth Mental Health: Dedicated to creating a healthy digital ecosystem for children and adolescents.
References:
Blumberg, S.J., & Luke, J.V. (2024). “Wireless substitution: Early release of estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, July-December 2023,” National Center for Health Statistics, June 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15620/cdc/156660.
National Telecommunications and Information Administration. (2024). “Leading connectivity: Two years of broadband infrastructure program (BIP).” https://www.ntia.gov/blog/2024/leading-connectivity-two-years-broadband-infrastructure-program-bip