The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness is a 2024 book by Jonathan Haidt which argues that the spread of smartphones, social media and overprotective parenting have led to a "rewiring" of childhood and a rise in mental illness.[1][2]
 First edition cover | |
| Author | Jonathan Haidt |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Dave Cicirelli |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Penguin Press |
Publication date | March 26, 2024 |
| Publication place | New York |
| Media type | Print (hardcover), e-book, audiobook |
| Pages | 400 |
| ISBN | 978-0-593-65503-0 (First edition hardcover) |
| 305.230973 | |
| LC Class | HQ792.U5 H23 2024 |
Haidt argues that the combination of the decline of play-based childhoods, exacerbated by what he describes as overprotective parents, and increasing smartphone use has been harmful to children since the late 2000s.[3] In an interview during the WSJ's Future of Everything Festival, he advocates banning phones in schools.[4]
Reception
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2024) |
As of September 2024, the book has spent 23 consecutive weeks on the The New York Times nonfiction best-seller list. It topped the list four times.[5]
The book received endorsements from Oprah Winfrey and Jessica Seinfeld.[6] Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders sent a copy of the book to the governor of each U.S. state and territory, urging them "to come together to limit social media and screen use for kids and encourage outdoor play to combat America's mental health crisis."[7]
Academic reviews
editCandice Odgers, a professor at the University of California, Irvine, and Duke University, published a review of the book in Nature arguing that most empirical evidence on social medial and mental health did not find a large or consistently negative effect and suggesting that the correlation of rising social media use and mental health problems might reflect reverse causation. Odgers also accused Haidt of fear-mongering and warned that "rising hysteria could distract us from tackling the real causes" of youth mental health struggles.[8]
Haidt responded to Odgers' criticism, arguing that he and his co-researcher, Zach Rausch, have compiled numerous experimental studies, most of which support his claims. Haidt also emphasised that, while there are many correlational studies, his research also includes evidence for causality. He rejected Odgers' suggestion that the 2008 financial crisis and other societal issues are the primary causes of the mental health crisis, noting that its timing and international scope point more directly to the rise of smartphones and social media.[9]
Journalistic reception
editIn the New York Times, David Wallace-Wells acknowledged Haidt's influence in shaping the narrative on social and mental health. However, he emphasized that teenage mental health trends vary between countries and need to be interpreted cautiously. He specifically took issue with Haidt's interpretation of increases in recorded emergency room visits for self-harm, because changes to the guidelines for mental health screenings (in 2011) and recording the intentionality of injury (in 2015) can also explain the increase. He also noted that life satisfaction has not deteriorated. Wallace-Wells cited researchers like Amy Orben and Andrew Przybylski, who argue that the evidence connecting smartphones to declining well-being is weak and contested. Wallace-Wells concludes that while smartphones may contribute to emotional distress for some teenagers, attributing the rise in depression and anxiety solely to technology oversimplifies a much more nuanced issue.[10]
Writing for The Guardian, Sophie McBain praised the book, describing it as "an urgent and persuasive warning" about the danger of phone-based childhoods. However, she questioned Haidt's downplaying of global issues, like climate change and political instability, and their media coverage as contributing factors to youth anxiety. McBain also found Haidt's theory of overprotective parenting to be "much less substantiated" compared to his research on smartphones.[11]
Helen Rumbelow of The Times gave the book a positive review, while acknowledging criticism it faced from some academics for relying "heavily" on correlation studies.[12]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Remnick, David (April 20, 2024). "Jonathan Haidt Wants You to Take Away Your Kid's Phone". The New Yorker.
- ^ Odgers, Candice L. (March 29, 2024). "The great rewiring: is social media really behind an epidemic of teenage mental illness?". Nature. 628 (8006): 29–30. Bibcode:2024Natur.628...29O. doi:10.1038/d41586-024-00902-2. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024 – via www.nature.com.
- ^ Cox Gurdon, Meghan (March 24, 2024). "'The Anxious Generation' Review: Apps, Angst and Adolescence". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
- ^ WSJ News (May 23, 2024). Jonathan Haidt on the Mental-Health Crisis and Smartphones | WSJ News. Archived from the original on August 9, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Best Sellers - Books - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
- ^ Jargon, Julie (May 10, 2024). "Jonathan Haidt Blamed Tech for Teen Anxiety. Managing the Blowback Has Become a Full-Time Job". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on May 13, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
- ^ "Sanders' Letter to Governors, Arkansas Legislature Concerning the Mental Health Crisis Kids are Facing Driven by Social Media - Arkansas Governor - Sarah Huckabee Sanders". governor.arkansas.gov. Archived from the original on June 6, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
- ^ Odgers, Candice L. (March 29, 2024). "The great rewiring: is social media really behind an epidemic of teenage mental illness?". Nature. 628 (8006): 29–30. Bibcode:2024Natur.628...29O. doi:10.1038/d41586-024-00902-2. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
- ^ Haidt, Jonathan [@JonHaidt] (April 1, 2024). "A review in Nature, by @candice_odgers, asserts that I have mistaken correlation for causation and that "there is no evidence that using these platforms is rewiring children's brains or driving an epidemic of mental illness." Both of these assertions are untrue" (Tweet). Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Wallace-Wells, David (May 1, 2024). "Are Smartphones Driving Our Teens to Depression?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 26, 2024. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
- ^ McBain, Sophie (March 21, 2024). "The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt – a pocket full of poison". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
- ^ Rumbelow, Helen (March 14, 2024). "The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt review — ban smartphones for children". The Times. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
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