A Wake-Up Call We Better Not Ignore
{Nonfiction November Week 4}
We’ve all felt it—the mental clutter from living in an age of dinging notifications, scrolling, and digital distractions. Information overload is a real thing.
Maybe we don’t need another book—with even more information—to identify the problem.
But what if that book offered a blueprint for the way out? Sometimes a single book is enough to challenge our assumptions and shift our behavior.
This might be that book: Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. It is a wake-up call to any of us living in the smartphone era.
Haidt tackles a question that gnaws at us as we notice the difference between our childhoods and the one that many of today’s kids are experiencing. How dangerous is the shift from the “play-based childhood” many of us grew up with—filled with tree climbing and hide-and-seek—to today’s “phone-based childhood,” dominated by selfies, TikTok, and endless texting?
The answer is chilling: it’s not just a change; it’s a crisis.
The data Haidt presents is staggering. The rise of smartphones and social media isn’t just altering how kids spend their time; it’s causing a mental health epidemic. Rates of anxiety, depression, and self-harm have soared, especially for girls, as screens rewire their brains in ways we’re only beginning to understand.
Reading this book made me pause and reconsider my own relationship with screens. No, I’m not tossing my phone in the nearest river (my neighbor accidentally did that; it was painful to even hear about the experience).
But Haidt’s book is pushing me to think about the opportunities we might be missing for real connection because of our split attention between the in-person world and the virtual one.
Herein lies the beauty of reading good nonfiction. It not only highlights a problem, but it also shares research on practical solutions. Books like Haidt’s are meant to move us into action. Whether it’s advocating for tech reforms, setting boundaries around screen time in our homes, or simply having conversations about these issues, Haidt offers four rules in his book that can help us find a better balance.
So if you’re ready to rethink your relationship with technology—and to help the next generation do the same—I recommend you also read The Anxious Generation. (Full disclosure: ironically, I read this book on a screen.)
And then maybe set aside your phone for an hour. Or two. Or a day. Talk to a friend, have a meal together, or just enjoy the quiet. See how good it can feel to live untethered.
For Week 4 of Nonfiction November, we’re sharing mind-opening books at Rebekah’s.
What book has opened your mind? Share in the comments here.
- Nonfiction November 2024 Week 1
My Must-Read Nonfiction Recommendations: Books that Deepen Connections - Nonfiction November 2024 Week 2
4 Inspiring Nonfiction Books for Readers, Writers, and Talkers - Nonfiction November 2024 Week 3
The Power of Pairing Fiction and Nonfiction Books
This should be a wake-up call for all of us.
Sounds like an interesting and horrifying read. While at 60 years old, I don’t have all the same social concerns that young ladies have – especially with threats of “your body my choice” (I am so angry) – I find that I have to limit social media just to avoid being overwhelmed by current events.
This does sound like such a valuable read in this era of computers and smart phones, Lisa. Thanks for the recommendation!
Sounds like an important read, thanks for sharing.
This sounds like a fascinating book! Thank you for the review and recommendation. I am old enough to remember life before computers, e-mail, and social media, as as much as it has made life supposedly “easier” and ” more efficient” I agree we also lost more meaningful connections along the way. Social Media certainly has become a powerful conduit for misinformation and hate
I consciously try disconnecting as often as possible and enjoy hiking in nature, reading, cooking/baking, gardening, writing, and drawing. instead.
Sounds like an interesting and timely book. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
While I think our device use is a serious problem, I don’t know that I would blame all the mental health issues on that.
Children are facing a very different world that the one I grew up in. I suspect that if I were growing up now, I too would be full of anxiety and depression.
So glad you reviewed this, and I will take this recommendation. Actually, I’d ordered it from the library, missed the hold date by one, and I was back to the bottom of the waiting list, which is considerable. Glad it offers some solutions. You’re the best!
xo
L
I’m not ready to throw away my phone, but I have been rethinking how I get my news. I made some changes over the weekend, and it already feels like it opened up some space in brain. This book sounds great!
When I think about the difference between my childhood and today, it’s like we are living in completely different worlds!
Dear Lisa, this book is on my library waiting list stack. Your words here today are a gentle nudge to unfreeze this hold and sit with the reality of its words. I’ve seen the damage done by phones not only in my grandchildren’s generation but by those in our own.
Let’s go out and play!
It seems like it should be obvious to any of us paying attention that the rise of anxiety and mental/emotional health problems has kind of coincided with the prevalence of smartphones in our day-to-day lives, so if this author has practical solutions to help with this problem, it sounds like a worthwhile read! Thanks for highlighting it!
I’m glad I don’t have kids cuz I don’t know what parents can do. I would hate to tell my kid they can’t have an iPhone or whatever when all their friends do. I’d hate to tell them “I want you to play outside like Mommy used to do” and they’d be like “Play with WHO???” because all their friends are at home, on their devices. And I’d hate to tell my kid “You can only have screen time on the weekend” and me sneaking out to my car to scroll TikTok where they can’t see me.
But yah, that sounds like a very interesting book!
I’ve tried to limit my son’s screen time, but he rightly points out that I’m on screens all the time myself! I think we should both read this book and talk about it.
That book is on my read list, thanks for sharing more!
I’m afraid to read this–it is my grandson and his half-sister’s generation. The relentless push for Olympic-level atheletes before they reach high school is ALONE enough to make them anxious! You may be interested therefore in Last Child in the Woods–not a new book, but one I still push on people lol I’ll link to it as my website link
Real world connections are so important and we are losing them. You make
some excellent points here Lisa. I worry a lot about young people in the current generation. Thank you for sharing this.
I definitely believe in limiting screen time for kids – and I’m beginning to believe all adults need limits as well. After all, always getting instant gratification sets you up for a downfall because life is not instant!
Social Media harrassment is a massive issue amongst teens here in Australia Lisa with many suicides from bullying through Social Media.
Our Federal govt has just taken the unprecedented action of introducing Legislation to ban all those under 16 years old from Social Media platforms with heavy penalties for the Social Media companies who are found in contravention to this law.
This has lead to great controversy here.
Visiting from Maree’s today.
blessings, Jennifer
Great pick! Along those lines, the book that convinced me to rework my relationship with my phone was Matt Haig’s Notes on a Nervous Planet. I am probably due for a re-read…
This is very interesting, Lisa. I’m glad it’s being discussed. But it is also something I hear all the time, “These kids need to put their phones down and live a little.” It makes me laugh sometimes because, when I’m around a big group and look around, it’s not the teenagers on their phones but the adults! It’s the ones middle age and up. I’m guessing we do all get too much screen time, but I’m wondering if it’s really as much a generational issue as we adults tend to think—or blame the younger generations. Kids see their parents on their phones all the time. Parents give their kids phones and tablets to keep them occupied from a very young age. Technology is such a part of our lives now, and I think it starts from the top down. I love how your takeaway from reading the book was to evaluate your own phone use. I plan to do the same. Thanks so much for your thoughtful reviews!
Wonderful review and recommendation. I have long been concerned about the amount of time spent on technology. I think the full effects have yet to be recognized. May we set our phones down and enjoy life and one another more.
Thank you, Lisa, for sharing this book. I have added it to my reading list. Thank you also for joining us at the Grace & Truth Link-Up. Your post received the most clicks, and I will highlight it tomorrow. Miss you, my friend. We need to catch up soon.