Listen free for 30 days
Listen with offer
-
The Anxious Generation
- How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
£0.00 for first 30 days
Buy Now for £12.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
An urgent and insightful investigation into the collapse in youth mental health, from the influential social psychologist and international bestselling author
After more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents in many countries around the world deteriorated suddenly in the early 2010s. Why have rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicide risen so sharply, more than doubling in many cases?
In this book, Social Psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues that the decline of free-play in childhood and the rise of smartphone usage among adolescents are the twin sources of increased mental distress among teenagers.
Haidt delves into the latest psychological and biological research to show how, between 2010 and 2015, childhood and adolescence got rewired. As teens traded in their flip phones for smartphones packed with social media apps, time online soared while time engaging face-to-face with friends and family plummeted, and so did mental health. This profound shift took place against a backdrop of diminishing childhood freedom, as parents over-supervised every aspect of their children’s lives offline, depriving them of the experiences they most need to become strong and self-governing adults.
The Anxious Generation reveals the fundamental ways in which this shift from free-play to smartphones disrupts development – from sleep deprivation to addiction – with separate in-depth analyses of the impact on girls and boys. Grounded in ancient wisdom and packed full of cutting-edge science, this eye-opening book is a life raft and a powerful call-to-arms, offering practical advice for parents, schools, governments, and teens themselves.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
Critic reviews
What listeners say about The Anxious Generation
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ian Day
- 29-05-24
Depth of research
Because it spoke to so many different interested parties repetition was an issue
Nonetheless a valuable resource for parents, teachers legislators and even grandsds
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sarah Gosney-Davies
- 23-07-24
Every person on earth should read this book.
I cannot stop reccomending this book. Integral reading, not only for parents and teachers, but for all of us trying to navigate the brave new world. Highly informative, engaging and terrifying.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Peter B
- 24-06-24
A must read for every parent
The evidence and authority to prove what we have all suspected regarding smartphones, social media and our kids
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 10-09-24
The best insight into the failed social media experiment you will ever read
I thought I was becoming a grumpy old man. Now I can crystalise why. The move from play based childhood to phone based childhood on the back of the epidemic of Safetyism is as insidious as it is unnatural. Read the book and you will find out for yourselves.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Matt
- 05-05-24
A timely and important book
A refreshing push back against the pervasive intrusion of negative kinds of technology use into every sphere of childhood. I am hopeful this work will continue to inspire movements for change.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sandra Hill
- 20-07-24
Eye Opening
We have taken action based on this book, will you? Let’s stop imprisoning our children.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- ThaB
- 14-06-24
Essential reading for modern parents!
This book deserves widespread recommendation among parents and educators! It's an eye-opener that helps people understand the negative impact of a phone-based childhood. If many parents come together and prevent their kids from using digital devices, the next generation might not feel the same peer pressure to use one.
As a stepparent to 2 teenagers, I felt like the author was describing their current behaviour as if he knew them personally. The insights into the challenges and pressures faced by today's youth were spot-on and incredibly relatable.
What stood out to me most was the practical advice the author provided. I also have a 3-year-old son, and I am determined to put into practice the recommendations regarding no screens, no social media, and the importance of a play-based childhood. The emphasis on fostering a healthy, balanced environment for children was both reassuring and motivating.
This book is an invaluable resource for any parent or guardian navigating the complexities of raising children in today's digital age. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to understand and support their kids better.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Steven Sheehan
- 07-09-24
Timely
Full of reasoned and evidenced insights. Just the right length too. Jonathan Haidt clearly cares about this issue and provides workable responses to it. Strong recommendation, especially if you’re a parent to young children /teens or an educator.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 03-09-24
Best read in a while
The writing style and narration are smooth and easy to digest. I loved the succinct summaries at the end of each chapter.
It’s a wonderfully practical and educational book - highly recommend!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- LYNDSEY TEMING-AMOAKO
- 17-04-24
Insightful, informative and inspirational.
This subject is very close to my heart and was compelled to consume this book after joining the Smartphone Free Childhood movement and seeing Jonathan on a webinar with its co-founders. I love the care and depth gone into the research and writing of this book and found it beyond reassuring, as I am a parent of two primary school aged children and decided long ago that they would not be getting smartphones until after their GCSEs! I highly recommend this book to all parents, teachers and teens who care about the cognitive and social development of children to read/listen to this book. For the "congregation", the preaching is good! For the sceptics, the preaching has enough legs to convert. I would have given the voiceover a five, but there were a few edits which were re-recorded which I found a tad distracting.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful