"The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness" is a 2024 non-fiction book by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt. Spanning approximately 400 pages, the book delves into the significant decline in adolescent mental health that began in the early 2010s. Haidt argues that the rise of smartphones, social media, and overprotective parenting have rewired childhood, contributing to increased rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide among young people.
Haidt examines the shift from "play-based childhoods" to "phone-based childhoods," explaining how this transformation has impacted children's social and neurological development. He identifies four primary harms of phone-based childhoods: social deprivation, sleep deprivation, attention fragmentation, and addiction. The book also explores why social media affects girls more negatively than boys and why boys are increasingly withdrawing into virtual worlds. Haidt proposes four rules that parents, teachers, schools, tech companies, and governments can implement to address this issue and restore a healthier, more humane childhood. "The Anxious Generation" was a Goodreads Choice Award Winner for Nonfiction in 2024. As of now, there are no film or TV adaptations announced.
