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  • The Anxious Generation

  • How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness
  • By: Jonathan Haidt
  • Narrated by: Sean Pratt
  • Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (268 ratings)

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The Anxious Generation

By: Jonathan Haidt
Narrated by: Sean Pratt
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

An urgent and insightful investigation into the collapse in youth mental health, from the influential social psychologist and international bestselling author


After more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents in many countries around the world deteriorated suddenly in the early 2010s. Why have rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicide risen so sharply, more than doubling in many cases?

In this book, Social Psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues that the decline of free-play in childhood and the rise of smartphone usage among adolescents are the twin sources of increased mental distress among teenagers.
Haidt delves into the latest psychological and biological research to show how, between 2010 and 2015, childhood and adolescence got rewired. As teens traded in their flip phones for smartphones packed with social media apps, time online soared while time engaging face-to-face with friends and family plummeted, and so did mental health. This profound shift took place against a backdrop of diminishing childhood freedom, as parents over-supervised every aspect of their children’s lives offline, depriving them of the experiences they most need to become strong and self-governing adults.

The Anxious Generation
reveals the fundamental ways in which this shift from free-play to smartphones disrupts development – from sleep deprivation to addiction – with separate in-depth analyses of the impact on girls and boys. Grounded in ancient wisdom and packed full of cutting-edge science, this eye-opening book is a life raft and a powerful call-to-arms, offering practical advice for parents, schools, governments, and teens themselves.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2024 Jonathan Haidt (P)2024 Penguin Audio
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Critic reviews

Jonathan Haidt is a modern-day prophet, disguised as a psychologist. In this book, he’s back to warn us of the dangers of a phone-based childhood. He points the way forward to a brighter, stronger future for us all (Susan Cain, author of QUIET)
An urgent and provocative read on why so many kids are not okay—and how to course correct. . . . even if you’re not ready to ban smartphones until high school, this book will challenge you to rethink how we nurture the potential in our kids and prepare them for the world (Adam Grant, author of THINK AGAIN)
This is a crucial read for parents of children of elementary school age and beyond, who face the rapidly changing landscape of childhood. Haidt lays out problems but also solutions for making a better digital life with kids (Emily Oster, author of EXPECTING BETTER)
Every single parent needs to stop what they are doing and read this book immediately. Jonathan Haidt is the most important psychologist in the world today, and this is the most important book on the topic that’s reshaping your child’s life right now (Johann Hari, author of STOLEN FOCUS)

What listeners say about The Anxious Generation

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Depth of research

Because it spoke to so many different interested parties repetition was an issue

Nonetheless a valuable resource for parents, teachers legislators and even grandsds

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Every person on earth should read this book.

I cannot stop reccomending this book. Integral reading, not only for parents and teachers, but for all of us trying to navigate the brave new world. Highly informative, engaging and terrifying.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A must read for every parent

The evidence and authority to prove what we have all suspected regarding smartphones, social media and our kids

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The best insight into the failed social media experiment you will ever read

I thought I was becoming a grumpy old man. Now I can crystalise why. The move from play based childhood to phone based childhood on the back of the epidemic of Safetyism is as insidious as it is unnatural. Read the book and you will find out for yourselves.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A timely and important book

A refreshing push back against the pervasive intrusion of negative kinds of technology use into every sphere of childhood. I am hopeful this work will continue to inspire movements for change.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Eye Opening

We have taken action based on this book, will you? Let’s stop imprisoning our children.

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Essential reading for modern parents!

This book deserves widespread recommendation among parents and educators! It's an eye-opener that helps people understand the negative impact of a phone-based childhood. If many parents come together and prevent their kids from using digital devices, the next generation might not feel the same peer pressure to use one.

As a stepparent to 2 teenagers, I felt like the author was describing their current behaviour as if he knew them personally. The insights into the challenges and pressures faced by today's youth were spot-on and incredibly relatable.

What stood out to me most was the practical advice the author provided. I also have a 3-year-old son, and I am determined to put into practice the recommendations regarding no screens, no social media, and the importance of a play-based childhood. The emphasis on fostering a healthy, balanced environment for children was both reassuring and motivating.

This book is an invaluable resource for any parent or guardian navigating the complexities of raising children in today's digital age. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to understand and support their kids better.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Timely

Full of reasoned and evidenced insights. Just the right length too. Jonathan Haidt clearly cares about this issue and provides workable responses to it. Strong recommendation, especially if you’re a parent to young children /teens or an educator.

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Best read in a while

The writing style and narration are smooth and easy to digest. I loved the succinct summaries at the end of each chapter.
It’s a wonderfully practical and educational book - highly recommend!

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Insightful, informative and inspirational.

This subject is very close to my heart and was compelled to consume this book after joining the Smartphone Free Childhood movement and seeing Jonathan on a webinar with its co-founders. I love the care and depth gone into the research and writing of this book and found it beyond reassuring, as I am a parent of two primary school aged children and decided long ago that they would not be getting smartphones until after their GCSEs! I highly recommend this book to all parents, teachers and teens who care about the cognitive and social development of children to read/listen to this book. For the "congregation", the preaching is good! For the sceptics, the preaching has enough legs to convert. I would have given the voiceover a five, but there were a few edits which were re-recorded which I found a tad distracting.

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2 people found this helpful