The Anxious Generation
As a staff, SCC, and community Rouleau has been reading the Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. Along with the Social Dilemma, the book captures the drastic change that has occurred since 2010 when pre-teen and teenagers made a switch from flip phones to iPhone 4s and other smart phones with front facing cameras. Combined with a shift from a play-based childhood to a phone-based childhood, every marker of self harm, anxiety, mental health diagnoses, and suicide rates have increased faster than at any other point in history. It should be labelled as one of the largest experiments ever conducted on our youth and frankly is the largest failure and let down of our youth in history. The evidence is real and all points towards the shift from Web 1.0 to 2.0 and widespread use of social media. I believe, along with a lack of sleep and constant need to be connected and feeling judged, the combination of all those factors has made it difficult for our youth to cope. The book also argues that parents have reduced the amount of responsibility we place on our youth and their ability to cope in the real world is a new struggle. Fewer teens are getting their driver’s licence, fewer teens are able to have an in person conversation, and fewer teens are having part time jobs. Teenagers are staying at home for longer and have a dismal view of their future.
Haidt suggests four strategies for reversing these effects on the next generation. These include:
- No smartphones before high school
- No social media before 16 years old
- Phone free schools
- More independence, free play, and responsibility in the real world.
The author suggests that although Millennials were the first teenagers to have cell phones, the effects of them using flip phones did not have a negative impact on their mental health. He suggests that if parents would like to stay connected with their preteens they should purchase them flip phones instead of smartphones.
Haidt indicates this needs to be a community push and to work collaboratively as the pressure parents will feel to purchase their teenager a smartphone is real. If the entire peer group has a smartphone and one child doesn’t, that can be socially isolating and also have a negative impact on the child. I would recommend this book to everyone and look forward to hosting community nights and parent nights with the hopes of some collective action.
One thought on “The Anxious Generation”
Like seriously Mitchell,
This post really got me. I never used a flip phone, but I used those Nokia phones that had no web or internet plugs in them. The transition to Web 2.0 has really brought about a lot of problems for our youths and teens. As a parent, I think I am also guilty. Though I did not buy technology for my kids, they have access to my phone, and I let them use it for as long as they are not disturbing my work.
On second thought, we live in a society where kids are also exposed to technology from Grade 2/3 so because of the invasiveness and perceived educational benefits of these tools. So, I am really wondering how the school will be able to manage the no-phone policy/guide.