The Anxious Generation: Is Gen Z Doomed or Just Glued to Their Screens?

Well, well, well, dear readers—gather ‘round because I’ve got a literary scandal hotter than a Stanley cup restock at Target. Jonathan Haidt has entered the chat, and this time, he’s not just pointing fingers—he’s practically setting off alarm bells. The Anxious Generation is the book parents, teachers, and, yes, even us small-town librarians need to read. Think less “gentle parenting” and more “your kid’s brain is being hijacked, and you might want to do something about it.”

“Childhood got rewired in the 2010s, and the result was a generation that is more anxious, more fragile, and less prepared for adulthood.”

Haidt’s thesis? The rise of anxiety, depression, and general existential doom among Gen Z isn’t just a quirky TikTok trend—it’s a full-blown crisis, and the culprits are as obvious as an influencer’s latest brand deal. Smartphones. Social media. The great indoors. He lays it all out: how kids went from free-range bike rides and questionable playground structures to being digitally tethered, socially stunted, and in a perpetual state of online doomscrolling. It’s giving Black Mirror, but worse, because this is real life.

Now, let’s not clutch our pearls too hard. Haidt isn’t here to just yell “delete TikTok” and walk away. He’s got solutions—real ones. He makes the case for bringing back independence, unsupervised play, and actual human interaction. Radical, right? He’s basically saying we need to let kids be kids again, instead of fragile little screen zombies who can’t function without a Wi-Fi signal. And honestly? He’s got a point.

“We took away play, and we replaced it with phones. We deprived kids of the experiences that make them strong, and then we gave them a device that further weakens them.”

Of course, not everyone’s thrilled with Haidt’s take. Some say he’s just another ‘90s-nostalgic millennial shaking his fist at Gen Z, longing for the days of AIM and flip phones. But as someone who spends a lot of time watching the next generation struggle with attention spans shorter than a viral trend cycle, I’d argue we should at least hear him out.

So, should you read it? Absolutely. Whether you’re a parent, a teacher, or just someone who enjoys a good societal reckoning, The Anxious Generation is the kind of book that’ll have you side-eyeing every iPad in sight. And maybe—just maybe—rethinking how we let tech babysit the future.

Until next time, my little bookish insiders.

XOXO, Dewey.