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The Anxious Generation (International Edition)
THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - A must-read for all parents: the generation-defining investigation into the collapse of youth mental health in the era of smartphones, social media, and big tech--and a plan for a healthier, freer childhood.
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Community Reviews
2.5 stars, rounded up
I’ll give Jonathan Haidt this: The Anxious Generation nails one thing right — kids and social media are a messy combo. I’m fully on board with the idea that we should keep younger kids off social platforms and seriously limit how much time older ones spend scrolling. It’s hard to argue against the growing pile of research showing how harmful constant online engagement can be for mental health. So on that front, Haidt had me nodding along.
But his tendency to wrap a complex crisis in overly neat explanations didn’t sit quite right. At times it felt like he was manipulating data to prove his thesis to avoid a nuanced and messy conversation. Mental health is a tangled issue—simplifying it down to screen time and parenting styles only scratches the surface, in my opinion.
I also found myself rolling my eyes at some of Haidt’s glamorization of the era in which he grew up. There’s a subtle but consistent right-leaning undertone as he critiques modern parenting, education, and cultural shifts. While it’s not overtly partisan, it’s hard to ignore. Instead of engaging with all sides of these complex issues, Haidt often leans into a “back in my day” mindset that can feel dismissive and oversimplified.
I’ll give Jonathan Haidt this: The Anxious Generation nails one thing right — kids and social media are a messy combo. I’m fully on board with the idea that we should keep younger kids off social platforms and seriously limit how much time older ones spend scrolling. It’s hard to argue against the growing pile of research showing how harmful constant online engagement can be for mental health. So on that front, Haidt had me nodding along.
But his tendency to wrap a complex crisis in overly neat explanations didn’t sit quite right. At times it felt like he was manipulating data to prove his thesis to avoid a nuanced and messy conversation. Mental health is a tangled issue—simplifying it down to screen time and parenting styles only scratches the surface, in my opinion.
I also found myself rolling my eyes at some of Haidt’s glamorization of the era in which he grew up. There’s a subtle but consistent right-leaning undertone as he critiques modern parenting, education, and cultural shifts. While it’s not overtly partisan, it’s hard to ignore. Instead of engaging with all sides of these complex issues, Haidt often leans into a “back in my day” mindset that can feel dismissive and oversimplified.
As a new mother its a great break down to understand the affect of tech on humans and how it rewires mental development of young minds as they develop. The damaged young girls and boys minds and how the 2000s were a massive unintentional experiement on children and the results along with how to fix the problem .
The second book that I have read by this author. It was similar to the first, and rather predictable. However, he does highlight the concerning state of the general population in the present moment.
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