The Anxious Generation
The Anxious Generation is one of the most thought-provoking nonfiction books I’ve read in a long time. The author’s primary question is why has there been a significant rise in the occurrence of anxiety and depression in Gen Z? He has theories.
Well-researched, thoughtful, and somewhat terrifying, I think this book is a must-read for parents, educators, and more. It looks at the increase in social media use, technological changes (especially the introduction of the iPhone), and the rise of overprotective, less play-based childhood trends.
As a parent of children 6 and under, I definitely have some reservations about sections on childhood independence and how early kids can be running errands without parents (but even the author admits his own fears and anxieties in this regard as a parent). But I am encouraged and challenged by the ideas of even more independent play and less screen-time (which our family already implements).
The critique I have is that some of the ideas in this book seem possible in large cities with robust public transportation systems or in small towns, easily walkable; they seem less scalable or implementable in mid-size cities and I would have liked to see more examples of practical application for places outside of NYC.
This may be something included in online supplementary material, which I’ll have to check out.
Overall, I think this is a resource I’ll return to and a book I’ll be thinking about for a long time.
