I was intrigued by this book, as it offered information about the rise of anxiety in teens and young adults, and I was hopeful to learn helpful strategies that would translate well into the clinic. It's no secret that there has been a worrying rise in mental health issues like anxiety, depression and self-harm among teenagers and young adults, not just in America, but in most Western culture countries. In The Anxious Generation, author Jonathan Haidt, explains his theory that this phenomenon is tied to the widespread adoption of smartphones and social media in the early 2010s.  Dr. Haidt has a PhD in psychology and is considered an expert on the psychology of morality and has researched and taught fields pertaining to sociology and  anthropology in addition to psychology.

The Anxious Generation offers an explanation of this cultural shift by telling two stories. The first is about the decline of the play-based childhood, which began in the 1980s and accelerated in the 1990s. A gradual change occurred in the culture in which children were allowed less time of outdoor, mostly unsupervised free play and instead children were funneled into adult supervised activities and sports. The loss of free play and rise of continual adult supervision deprived children of what they needed most to overcome the normal fears and anxieties of childhood. They were limited in their chances to explore, to test and expand their limits, to build close friendships through shared adventure and limited in their opportunities to judge  risks for themselves. 

The second story of the book is about the rise of the phone-based childhood, which began in the late 2000s and accelerated in the early 2010s. Flip phones were replaced with smart phones that were loaded with social media platforms supported by new high-speed internet and unlimited data plans. Parents had no way of knowing how to protect their children from apps and social media that were designed to be addictive. The book explains how  social media apps and online games create a virtual world that offers escape from the real world, but offers little in the way of true human connection.

The author offers useful advice to parents in the last part of the book. His suggestions include:

• Give children far more time playing with other children. This play should ideally be outdoors, in mixed age groups with little to no adult supervision. 

• Look for ways to involve children in stable real-world communities. ( As a former homeschool mom, I would suggest 4H)

• Don't give a smartphone as the first phone. Give a phone or watch that is specialized for communication, not for internet based apps.

• Don't give a smartphone until high school. (This is a tricky one, in my opinion.) 

• Delay the opening of accounts on nearly all social media platforms until the beginning of high school at least. 

In conclusion, this book offers an overview of societal changes that preceded the digital culture we find ourselves in today and offers reasonable solutions to unplug ourselves and our children from our phones.

Why I would recommend this book:  I found this book offering insights on what drives the epidemic of anxiety that is overtaking teens and young adults today. It explains the neurobiology behind the addictive nature of social media and how it has such control over our actions. I found it especially insightful when discussing the spiritual side of our natures and how important it is to not only recognize that about ourselves, but to actively take part in spiritual activities.