If your social media algorithm is like mine, you’ve been seeing lots of posts and videos about a new book: The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt.
In it, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt explores the rise in anxiety and depression among young people, arguing that our culture underwent a troubling transition from a “play-based childhood” to a “phone-based childhood” — a transition that caused a mental health crisis:
Haidt 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…
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.
It’s ironic that I’ve mostly heard about Haidt’s research through social media, but in a way, this is a fairly typical experience for my generation. Many of us parents want our kids to have a healthier relationship with technology than we do.
This desire is especially apparent in the example of parents who work in tech. The very developers of these technologies are the most aware of their anxiety-inducing dangers; it’s an open secret that Silicon Valley parents greatly limit their children’s tech use:
The people who are closest to a thing are often the most wary of it. Technologists know how phones really work, and many have decided they don’t want their own children anywhere near them.
Curious what Haidt suggests as an antidote, but haven’t had time to pick up the book? While the book is well worth your time—it would be a great pick for a parents’ book club or school-wide community read—here are is a short digest of Haidt’s recommendations.
1No smartphones before high school
Haidt says kids’ brains are not ready for the addictive nature of a smartphone any earlier than high school.
This recommendation is at the heart of the popular Wait Until 8th campaign, in which parents sign a pledge not to give their kids smartphones until at least the end of 8th grade—a pledge that more than 50,000 families have signed.
2No social media before age 16
The destructive effect of social media on young people has reached the level of a public health crisis, as U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released an Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health last year.
“There is growing evidence that social media use is associated with harm to young people’s mental health,” said Murthy. “We are in the middle of a national youth mental health crisis, and I am concerned that social media is an important driver of that crisis—one that we must urgently address.”
3No phones at school
While some schools use phones for education, Haidt argues that the harmful effects far outweigh any benefits. He suggests practical measures like lockers for students’ phones.
4More independence, free play and responsibility in the real world
This suggestion is the hardest to measure but corresponds with a growing body of research on the benefits of giving our kids opportunities to try and fail. Parents and schools report success with initiatives like the Let Grow Project, which was designed to give kids the independence they need to grow into capable, confident, and happy adults, arguing that “Today’s kids are smarter and stronger than our culture gives them credit for.”
Social media certainly has its benefits — like letting us know about Haidt’s groundbreaking book—but like any powerful thing, it has to be handled with wisdom and care.
Let’s reclaim our kids’ childhoods with these simple, commonsense measures.
Together, we can change the story so our kids are part of “the confident generation,” “the capable generation,” or “the courageous generation” instead.
