A Book Review of ‘the Anxious Generation’ by Jonathan Haidt

Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation (2024) examines the sharp rise in anxiety, depression and social difficulties among children, linking these trends to the rapid spread of smartphones and the decline of independent, play-based childhood. Drawing on developmental psychology, neuroscience, and cross-cultural research, the book argues that children’s wellbeing depends on autonomy and in-person social interaction increasingly replaced by digital immersion. The book presents four foundational harms of social deprivation, sleep disruption, attention fragmentation and addiction situate youth mental-health challenges within wider socio-cultural and technological shifts. Even though The Anxious Generation provides a compelling, interdisciplinary explanation, it has certain limitations, which are critically analysed in the review section.