The Anxious Generation

The Anxious Generation argues that the 'great rewiring of childhood' - the shift from a play-based upbringing to a phone-based one - has produced a mental-health crisis, as smartphones and social media displaced the free, risky, in-person play that children need to develop.

Haidt marshals data and proposes concrete norms: no smartphones before high school, no social media before sixteen, phone-free schools, more independence offline. intendle recommends it as one of the most consequential and debated books of the decade, whether or not you accept every causal claim; some researchers contest the evidence. An instant #1 bestseller, a Goodreads Choice Award winner and an Obama favorite of 2024, it has reshaped how parents and schools think about screens.