The Anxious Generation : How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness

The Anxious Generation : How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental IllnessAuthor: Haidt, Jonathan Child & developmental psychology Published on 2 January 2025 by Penguin Books Ltd (Penguin) in the United Kingdom. Paperback 464 pages 129 x 198 x 27 292g THE NO. 1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER A TIMES, FT, ECONOMIST AND INDEPENDENT BOOK OF THE YEARBoundlessly wise . . . important and engrossing The New York TimesOne of the most important books Ive read . . . Its absolutely brilliant Dr Rangan Chatterjee'Urgent and essential'

Author: Haidt, Jonathan

Child & developmental psychology

Published on 2 January 2025 by Penguin Books Ltd (Penguin) in the United Kingdom.

Paperback | 464 pages
129 x 198 x 27 | 292g

THE NO.1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER A TIMES, FT, ECONOMIST AND INDEPENDENT BOOK OF THE YEAR‘Boundlessly wise . . . important and engrossing’ The New York Times‘One of the most important books I’ve read . . . It’s absolutely brilliant’ Dr Rangan Chatterjee'Urgent and essential' GuardianAcclaimed psychologist Jonathan Haidt reveals how the decline of free-play in childhood and the rise of smartphone use among adolescents is changing our worldFrom 2010, as teens traded in their flip phones for smartphones packed with social media apps, unsupervised time online soared while face-to-face conversations with friends and family plummeted, and so did mental health. This profound shift took place against a backdrop of diminishing childhood freedom and over-supervision in the real world, depriving children of the experiences they most need to become strong and self-governing adults.

The Anxious Generation delves into the latest research to show how this shift from free-play to smartphones disrupts development – from sleep deprivation to addiction – and lays the foundations of isolation and fear that define society today. Grounded in ancient wisdom and packed full of cutting-edge science and practical advice, this eye-opening book is a life-raft for anyone who wants to understand how the most rapid rewiring of human relationships and consciousness in human history has made it harder for all of us to think, focus, forget ourselves enough to care about others and build close relationships.