Book Review: The Anxious Generation

Photo by Ed Ortiz

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt was a great read—slightly boring at times, but the subject is too important to let that stop you from reading it. Haidt doesn’t have the writing touch of Matthew Desmond, author of Evicted and Poverty, By America, but he lays out the facts about the social media epidemic affecting children and teenagers in a clear and highly informative way.

If you don’t think there is a problem, just go back a few years and think about the TikTok controversy and the public pushback surrounding it. Many of those interviewed at the time stated that they weren’t worried about national security or what happened to their personal information. What they feared most was losing their space and their place within the social media environment.

I recently read the following in the Wall Street Journal Weekend Edition regarding attempts to reverse antisocial tendencies: “Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg bemoaned this connection crisis and offered a solution: ‘virtual friend’ powered by generative AI.” Just a few lines later, the article adds: “Long AI conversations can make lonely people lonelier, and in April, Meta’s own virtual friends were found to engage in sexually explicit role play with users who had identified themselves as minors.”

Yes, let’s have “virtual friends” using Meta Quest virtual reality headsets—that will fix the problem. Are you kidding me?

Later, the author of the article states: “Social media’s harms occur because its creators price attention without regard to long-term outcomes.” That observation captures the central theme of The Anxious Generation.

Published in 2024, the book is approximately 367 pages long, including 66 pages of detailed notes, and is divided into four parts.

The introduction sets the stage wonderfully, explaining how we arrived at this point. Part 1, consisting of a single chapter, covers the decline in mental health. Part 2 provides the backstory, explaining how the problem began with the overprotection of parents in the 1990s, which limited children’s and teenagers’ opportunities for free play and real social interaction. This was followed by the invention of smartphones in 2007 and, soon after, the explosion of social media.

Part 3 discusses the “phone-based childhood,” which Haidt defines as “all of the internet-connected personal electronics that came to fill young people’s time, including laptop computers, tablets, internet-connected video game consoles, and, most importantly, smartphones with millions of apps” (p. 7). This section is dedicated to research showing how phone-based lifestyles disrupt child development. Part 4 lays out Haidt’s recommendations for addressing the problem.

I am fully aware of the damage social media is causing in society, which is why I don’t maintain any personal social media accounts, aside from a minimal presence on LinkedIn for professional purposes.

If you are skeptical about the dangers of social media, I recommend reading this book carefully—or with “minute care,” as Marcus Aurelius advised—paying close attention to the notes along the way. It is an eye-opening experience that should, hopefully, inspire action.

Here are some highlights:

“My central claim in this book is that these two trends—overprotection in the real world and underproduction in the virtual world—are the major reasons why children born after 1995 became the anxious generation.” (p. 9)

Overprotection in the real world, according to Haidt, is driven by fears that children walking outside may encounter kidnappers or sex offenders—an issue that continues to concern me and is frequently reported in the news. I personally believe this trend is amplified by social media, which predators increasingly use to target victims, though this observation is anecdotal.

On page 30, the author presents a graph showing that, since 2010, the United States has seen a 188% increase in emergency room visits for self-harm among girls, compared to 48% for boys. On the following page, another graph shows a 167% increase in suicide rates among adolescent girls, compared to 91% for boys. Mental health hospitalizations in Australia have increased 81% for girls and 51% for boys (p. 41).

In the U.K., self-harm among teens reverses the trend, showing a 134% increase among boys compared to 78% among girls. Notably, the U.K. data show that the rate for boys is just over 250 per 100,000, while for girls it is close to 1,250 per 100,000 (p. 41). High psychological distress in Nordic nations shows an increase to 76.3% since 2010, compared to 51.3% for boys (p. 42).

“An important detail in this story is that the iPhone 4 was introduced in June 2010…Instagram had a small user base until 2012, when it was purchased by Facebook…its user base grew to 90 million by early 2013.” (p. 35)

“If world events played a role in the current mental health crisis, it’s not because world events suddenly got worse around 2012; it’s because world events were suddenly being pumped into adolescents’ brains through their phones…” (p. 39)

“By 2014, nearly a third of teen girls were spending over 20 hours a week on social media sites…” (p. 58)

“Social media platforms are therefore the most efficient conformity engine ever invented.” (p. 59)

“For girls, the worst years for using social media were 11–13; for boys, 14–15.” (p. 64)

Haidt identifies four foundational harms caused by this trend:

  • Social deprivation: Children replace face-to-face play with virtual interaction. (pp. 120–122)
  • Sleep deprivation: Social media use reduces necessary sleep for pre-teens and teens. (pp. 123–125)
  • Attention fragmentation: Constant notifications disrupt focus and productivity. (pp. 125–129)
  • Addiction: Haidt explains dopamine’s role and introduces the four-step Hooked model: Trigger, Action, Variable Reward, and Investment. (pp. 130–132)1

Anna Lembke, author of Dopamine Nation, describes smartphone addiction bluntly: “Smartphones are the modern-day hypodermic needle, delivering digital dopamine 24/7 for a wired generation.” (p. 135)

Haidt also explains why girls are disproportionately affected, citing visual comparison, relational aggression, emotional contagion, and increased vulnerability to harassment. For boys, the primary trend is a “failure to launch,” characterized by difficulty finding work, disengagement, and prolonged dependence on parents. (p. 179)

The final section of the book presents actionable recommendations for government, schools, and parents, including raising the age of internet adulthood to 16, implementing phone-free schools, and encouraging independence and real-world engagement for children and teens.

Haidt’s book is packed with data, expert insight, and practical guidance.

Unless meaningful action is taken, this problem will persist as technology continues to advance rapidly. Artificial intelligence—especially when paired with virtual reality—will make disengagement from the virtual space even more difficult. The emergence of AI-generated figures such as actress Tilly Norwood2 and recording artist Xania Monet3 illustrates how these technologies will further fuel online engagement.

The Anxious Generation offers valuable lessons and a framework for bridging the gap between virtual and real life. We need to continue guiding our children in this direction, and this book is a strong resource for doing so.

About the Author:

Jonathan Haidt is a social psychologist at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992.

  1. Charles Duhigg, in his book The Power of Habit, calls it “the Habit Loop,” which consists of a cue, the routine, and then the reward. ↩︎
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilly_Norwood ↩︎
  3. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/meet-the-woman-behind-chart-topping-ai-artist-xania-monet-i-look-at-her-as-a-real-person/ ↩︎

53 thoughts on “Book Review: The Anxious Generation”

  2. Hi, Ed. Excellent article! My daughter and I are discussing these very issues with the grandkids. The biggest challenge is with my granddaughter. She just turned 8 y/o. We are implementing changes, although challenging.

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    1. Thank you, Sandra. It’s definitely a tough one. We gave our son a flip phone when he was in middle school and upgraded him to a smartphone in high school. No social media yet, and he’s about to turn 18. We put some parental controls on his phone and the internet. A lot of conversations throughout the years.

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  4. The Anxious Generation is one of my favorite books in the sense that it provided so much eye-opening info. One thing I absolutely love about this book’s impact is watching parents and teachers read it—and then doing something about phone and social media usage in schools. It’s time people finally realized the damage that social media does to the still-developing minds of teens.

    Great post, I enjoyed your thoughts on it!

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    1. Thank you very much for your comment. I can see how a person might take action after reading this book. The data he presented and the examples he provided were powerful. We made some early decisions about phone usage and social media for our son. He received a smartphone in high school, but no social media yet, and he is about to turn 18. We saw the available data and took some preventive measures.

      Parents’ and teachers’ involvement is essential.

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  5. I’m glad my children were grown before smart phones became so vital – I feel very sorry for parents today. My daughter moved to Hawaii where her kids can be active in nature year round which helps a lot, but it has been a struggle

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    1. Yeah, island life in Hawaii is very unique. Even Oahu had many opportunities for kids and teens, and the communities were pretty tight, at least that was my experience when I lived there in the early 2000s.

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  6. It is a very real worry and as a teacher and grandmother I know it to be true. The governor of our state is about to sign a state wide ban on phones at school during teaching hours which is a small step in the right direction, and my worry is even greater in the use of tech by children in their off hours without adults

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    1. That’s awesome, Beth. That’s one of the initiatives the author is working on: no phones during school hours. I hope more states start adopting similar policies. Yeah, the off hours is a problem, and parents need to figure out how to address that one.

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      1. we did this in my school before I retired and some parents were upset because their kids were upset of course. we stuck by it and said they could use it after school of course, if they needed to reach parents for pickup from activities, etc. but if parents needed to reach them during school they could simply call the office and they would let the student know.

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    1. It definitely is, Violet. The author highlights adults’ ability to “off-ramp” and avoid the pitfalls of social media because our brains are fully developed and we have a lot of experience dealing with different issues. But, parts of children’s and teens’ brains are not fully developed and are more easily affected by the constant push of media feeds, which can rewire their brains.

      I think social media companies suppress some of these facts to protect their businesses, so it’s good that experts are writing these kinds of books and trying to inform the public.

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  8. I absolutely love the authors description of “overprotection in the real world and underprotection in the virtual world”. I think most of us of a certain age know exactly what she means.

    Anecdotal, but I’ve raised two boys and it wasn’t always puppies and rainbows, as you can imagine. This led me to have discussions with some local therapists and counselors, where, according to them, they experienced massive shifts in their clinical work. Youth became the vast majority of their patients, and according to them, the issues were identical: a combination of vicious social media pressures and a complete inability to face “adversity” (their term). To me, that seems to largely line up as outcomes of what the author describes as parents are both overprotective in the real world, and allow free grazing online.

    I appreciate you talking about this, Edward. It scares me to death, and makes me feel terrible for young people. There are major issues, to say nothing about the impact Covid had youth, and all at a time when we’ve insufficient resources available to help clean up the issues. As parents, we need to do better by them.

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    1. Thank you, Scott. I thought the same thing when I read that part about “overprotection in the real world and underprotection in the virtual world.” The stats are insane. I think the danger is teens’ ability to stay connected to the school social environment 24/7, which I guess is okay if you’re one of the “cool kids,” but if not, it’s probably a nightmare.

      Back in the day, you dealt with the weirdness of other kids and bullying for eight hours or so, then went home and it was quiet until the next day. Then the weekend came, and things were okay. Now, my goodness, kids get a continuous dose of weirdness and bullying right on their phones. I think that’s what is driving so many of the issues teens are facing.

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  9. The whole world, with access to the internet, have gone bonkers.
    I do love the blog and the people I follow but for me it is like pen pals from so long ago. So innocent compared to what so many are now exposed to.

    When I look at Mark Z I see a mad scientist of sorts, with his plan to create a social media site to make us all closer in interaction lol on so many levels I see failure.

    Sadly I am still on it for selling my watercolors but I try not to go off the deep end as I see it as such a waste of precious time I have left.

    Have a great weekend I will be dodging the bitter cold one minute, then on the John Deere pushing way too much snow around lol

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    1. Yes, when I woke up this morning, the “feels like” temperature was −39. It’s going to be very cold this weekend.

      I like blogging and don’t consider it a social media platform. To me, it’s more like a collaborative space where people write long-form content and readers interact with it, most of the time leading to meaningful dialogue.

      Have a nice weekend, and stay warm.

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  10. This book is life-awakening, pinpointing how social media has negative benefits than positive benefits. I feel like parenting becomes a little challenging now because of gadgets and everything screens the children spend to. I wish this book will reach a wider audience, especially parents to be aware how this trends now is a little alarming, considering the high suicide rates. Thought-provoking review, Edward and a great book. I admire the author, too. And… this time, I look longer the mug than the book because it looks cute.🤩🤭

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    1. Thank you so much. Yes, this subject is extremely important, so we need to keep communicating and sharing this information to improve the situation. Parents need all the support they can get.

      It’s a little cold in my area, so the mug dressed up to stay warm, and the hot coffee, helped a lot. 😁

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  11. Thanks, Edward. Those statistics are terribly alarming, especially the self harm, suicide, and interactions with minors. Recently schools are getting the pressure to police against technology invasion of phones in the classroom. I think families, parents and guardians should have in depth discussions after reading the book you just finished.

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    1. You’re welcome, Rebecca. I agree, more discussion and collaboration are needed to address these issues. But as I was discussing with Karen, a lot of parents are addicted too, and some see any intervention as a violation of their “freedoms.” It’s just a difficult issue to tackle as a society.

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  13. I read this book last year. It’s scary stuff indeed. My daughters grew up in the smartphone and social media era and both struggled with anxiety in high school, even though we did resist getting them phones until high school and gave them opportunities for independence.

    I have significantly reduced my time on social media in the past year and feel much better for it. It’s a shame because the original idea and potential to help people stay connected was great. These companies have a lot to answer for.

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    1. I gave my son a flip phone in middle school, funny enough, he kept it in his backpack and hardly used it. He then transitioned to a smartphone in high school but does not have a social media account yet.

      Companies saw profits in the way people were using social media, so they exploited the situation. It’s like cigarettes—they look cool until you’re addicted to them, and then neither rain nor cold will stop you from smoking outside.

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      1. That’s great about your son. My younger daughter, who is 23 now, rarely uses social media. Her older sister does, but is pretty responsible about it. When they were in high school, I think they both quickly saw how phoney and toxic it all was. The teenage years are tough enough, without all that!

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  14. This really hit me hard. When my kids were in school I was heavily involved in the PTA. I tried so hard to bring programs about the dangers of social media to the district. The district loved it and developed programs with us but the parents pushed back. It was a bizarre response. Not the type of movement I expected.

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  15. This is a very interesting analysis. I can’t argue that social media does not quite live up to the hype when it first came out. Although, I’m not quite to the place were I want to throw technology under the bus because we have a correlation between “screen time” and “mental health”. The first rule of statistical analysis states “correlation does not mean causation.” I have not read the book, but will put it on my reading list.

    You mention that Haidt identified the four foundational harms: Social deprivation, sleep deprivation, attention fragmentation, addiction. A lot of this sounds very familiar to my childhood growing up and we didn’t have cell phones. But there was TV, Magazines, chatting on the phone with friends at night, and “oh my!” Rock N’ Roll Music! My question — where are the parents? My parents were aware of the amount of TV, monitored the music, phone time, ensured I was not distracted and finished my homework every night. The Government didn’t have to do it. The technology didn’t have to do it. Responsible parenting did it. As a teen, I thought my parents were rather restrictive. As an adult, I realize the hard job they had and how hard they worked to help me grow into a responsible adult.

    That’s not to say we don’t need some Government regulations to technology. But I’m inclined to want to dig deeper to social changes outside of technological advances. Maybe there is a correlation, maybe not. After all, when we started driving automobiles instead of horse drawn carriages, deaths due to automobile accidents increased. Are we going to ban automobiles? I will be very interested in reading some of his recommendations on managing technological advacements.

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    1. Thank you, Joni, and I agree with your comment about parenting. My son is about to turn 18 and doesn’t have social media.

      TV… well, I still remember that TV stations went off the air before midnight back in the day. I think the issue with social media, and the book discussed this, is the short length of the content and the rapid transition from one short piece of content to the next. That’s what is hooking children, teens, and adults. If they click or view something, the platform knows to push more of that. I think a lot of parents are addicted too, so they are not able to regulate what their children are doing.

      I agree with your comment about the statistical analysis, there are too many variables, but with the number of lawsuits against some of these companies and Congress attempting to regulate some of the access in the past, I think there is a little bit of truth in the numbers. But again, I’m not sure because that is outside my area of expertise.

      Every time I go to a restaurant and see couples or families on their phones instead of enjoying each other, I have to think that there is an issue somewhere.

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      1. Yes, social media does cherry pick what to display to users. Content is short. But the change started before social media. 50 years ago (1970’s approx), when I entered the workforce, we had offices. Someone had to knock on my door to talk with me and we had purposeful conversations. About 15 years later, the office had changed to cubicles and we were separated by low walls. My neighbor could simply talk over the wall to me, interrupt me as they pleased. Slowly, but surely, the cubicle changed to a bull pen. There were no walls, no privacy. Over the past 50 years, we’ve been breaking down walls, but at the same time increasing sensory stimulation.

        What if the addiction to this little phone in our hands isn’t so much the addictive power of social media, but a shutting down, blocking out the noise so to speak?

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        1. Excellent point! I didn’t think about that angle. I might need to take some time to reflect on it.

          As an introvert, my tendency is to hide and stay disconnected from society because the world is really loud. I know that’s not good for me, so I’m constantly resisting my tendency toward isolation and I purposely go out into the world often. Still, I’m always looking for meaningful engagement, not small talk. That’s one of the reasons I love blogging—it meets, at least in part, the meaningful engagement I’m craving.

          I tried social media in the past but lost interest quickly. I would describe it as “superficial,” for lack of a better word, but after your comment, I can see how, for some people, it could be an escape from the noise, a way to spend some quiet time. I’d rather do that by reading a book and drinking coffee, but I can see the point.

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    1. I know. I’m aware of most of the issues, but it hurts seeing some of the statistics presented in the book. These companies are clearly taking advantage of children and teens to make their millions. I hope adults start to wake up and put an end to this madness.

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    1. Thank you very much. You are absolutely right. I think we need to have more discussions on this subject so that people become educated about the dangers and how to prevent children and teens from getting hooked.

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    1. Exactly! I’m not sure either, but we definitely need to keep our kids engaged with the real world as much as we can. I think it’s going to take something significant for people to disengage from social media.

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      1. This observation will probably sound very naive, but I think public libraries have a role in breaking (or at least reducing) the social media addiction. What I’m seeing from the libraries in my own state of NH is that they are providing programs for all ages. They are becoming of their local communities. I’ve been impressed and heartened by the work they’re doing.

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