(Today’s entry contains some of my reflections after reading a startling book, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. Yes, the title caught my attention, too, for good reasons….)
“Our technologies may be harming us more than we admit.” Over the past few years, that idea has attached itself to smartphones and social media, sometimes only gently admonishing us for yielding to the temptations of our toys. Tech entrepreneurs have countered with promises about the benefits of our online lives, so it might seem logical to go about our businesses and relationships, confident that relatively little harm could be coming our way.
Turns out that they/we were wrong!
According to ethicist, researcher and social psychologist *Jonathan Haidt, since about 2010 the irresistible presence of social media—made possible by smartphones—has created a growing epidemic of harm to children and teens. Manifested on any number of well-being indexes—e.g., depression, anxiety, neurological development, loneliness, sleep deprivation or addiction—the mental health of our children, especially young girls, has decreased alarmingly.
This #1 New York Times bestseller speaks directly to any of us who have seen the spirits of children we love somehow wither. Our vague discomfort with phone-based lives may not motivate or equip us to do something more than kvetch about this generation of kids or parents. But Haidt’s narrative is overwhelmingly compelling, filled with research findings that are perfectly clear: Too many of our kids may have forsaken play-based lives to give their attention to the all-consuming content of their screens. This harm—perhaps reversible—can be seen across the Western world, and it’s not going to go away by itself.
I won’t summarize Haidt’s data or conclusions here, other than to observe that they appear to be nearly irrefutable. Good news: If you’ve secretly wondered if this problem is something only you are facing, the truth is that you’re not alone—together we can address this societal malady!.
Equally true: This book is worth your reading…..
*Haidt teaches at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He and his colleagues have spent decades documenting almost every facet of this matter, including likely solutions. A previous work, The Coddling of the American Mind, explored similar themes applied to the wider spectrum of our culture. You can find his continuing writing at www.afterbabel.com
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