Last year, many local school boards made the important choice to ban phones from classrooms. This book was a major contributor to that decision.
By that point, I had not yet read “The Anxious Generation” by Jonathan Haidt.
Learning about this book was synonymous to a new horror movie. Real life is scary enough …do I really need to dive into this?
Thankfully I made the choice to still read it.
From our multiple years in the classroom to the many families we tutor, screen time addiction is the most common challenge we take on.
For those who are hesitant: It is helpful to see data that confirms what we all already sense so naturally. To learn precisely how boys vs. girls are affected by these programs that calculate their attention away from the people who really care for them.
It’s Jonathan’s hopeful conclusion in the book that elevates it to a “must read”.
Of course not all solutions in this book work universally, but there should be a general direction that all families can find from it.
Most agreeable to me, is that the best solutions fall on us as a community. Progress is made when we normalize the counter balances which will help our children rediscover the amazing REAL world they were born into. Such as family groups that wait to get smart phones until after middle school.
I can understand the envy some folks felt when China banned video games throughout their country. Especially with kids, it is easy to be illusioned that such laws will be effective in solving bigger problems. I disagree.
Such legislation is only an attack on a symptom. Furthermore it will likely fail to address the outcome it aims to hit.
Especially as Americans, it is us our rights AND responsibilities as parents that will solve the real issue. To address the root causes of the mental health crisis in our youngest generations.
Reading this book is a tangible example of solving problems the right way. So many communities have also made significant steps in bringing their children back. Normalizing significant actions: such as waiting until H.S. to give their children smartphones and/or “unplugged” days.