The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

A REALLY Quick Book Review

Full disclosure—I really like Jonathan Haidt. Without question, The Coddling of the American Mind is the most thought-provoking book I have encountered in the last ten years so when I opened his most recent work, expectations were high. Thankfully, the best-selling author doesn’t disappoint.

Haidt begins by acknowledging the problem that is obvious to all of us who work with young people: our youth are experiencing a wave of mental health concerns unlike anything we have witnessed. While acknowledging potential factors contributing to this epidemic, Haidt makes an overwhelming cases that our crisis ties directly to the emergence of the smartphone.

In Part 2, the author pulls on his psychologist hat to explain ‘normal’ adolescent development and how our dependence on screens has interrupted this development. In Part 3, he walks us through the results of these interruptions. Spoiler Alert: if you find yourself sleep deprived, socially isolated, battling an addition or struggling with an ever deteriorating attention span, this section is going to hit close to home. Finally, Haidt concludes with hope. After naming the depth of the problem before us, readers will be unsurprised to find there is no silver bullet solution. Instead, reclaiming our youth and their mental wellbeing will require collective action in the form of government intervention, business cooperation, educational changes, and different parenting practices.

This book is great but it isn’t without faults. Haidt’s academic background enables him to build a strong argument but likely contributes to informational overkill at times. Still, if you want to understand the reality our young people are facing—or to be comforted that you aren’t alone in your experience—Haidt’s book is a must-read.

4 out of 5 Stars