The Anxious Generation
How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness
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The Anxious Generation
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Narrated by:
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Sean Pratt
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By:
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Jonathan Haidt
About this listen
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 AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 10-09-24
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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- Becks
- 03-10-24
Important information
Very well presented research and ideas surrounding screen use in our children and the benefits of a play based childhood. Lots of practical ideas to put the ideas into practice and very well researched and thought out. A must read for parents, educators and policy makers
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1 person found this helpful
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- Sarah Gosney-Davies
- 23-07-24
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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1 person found this helpful
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- Ian Day
- 29-05-24
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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- Carlotta
- 01-11-24
A must read
If you are an educator, a parent or you work in tech, this is a must read. Saving children's minds will save everyone's future.
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- Peter B
- 24-06-24
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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- Anonymous User
- 14-01-25
One of the scariest books
A devastating listen for any parent worried or even curious about the effects mobile phones and social media is having or will have on their children.
Has changed my thinking for the better and pushed me away from my phone and back to the real world.
The ideas in the book aren’t easy but are doable, but prepare yourself for tantrums and hard conversations.
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- B Street
- 20-04-24
Irrefutable!
What I found particularly enlightening is what the phone has otherwise prevented kids from doing. I would have thought it was enough, for example, that schools don’t allow phones to be on in the classroom. But I never thought about the kids going immediately between each class to check their phone rather than engage with one another. So many facts were devastating that I can’t stop talking to others about this book and I have since joined a grassroots movement in the UK called Smartphone Free Childhood. Sadly, it’s a little late for my teenage girls, both of whom have battled/are battling various mental health issues but I feel fully inspired to disseminate this information to break that collective behaviour of which I too became a victim.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Ms N Hodge
- 15-04-24
very enlightening. important listening and learning for parents, teens, teachers and others.
Some interesting well researched info. Good suggestions for what we can do. highly recommended. I've been sending out copies to many friends.
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- Yalls
- 12-05-24
great insight
I liked the format of the book and especially the fact that the author presented workable solutions to the problem attended end. I'm trying to implement them as a lot of the issues he highlights are present my teen.
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