A Must read: The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

Posted: July 11, 2024 | Author: erikpeper

Do you wonder why mental health of teenagers plunged in the in the early 2010s (e.g., increase in anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts) with a decrease in actual social interactions (e.g., dating or leaving home to live independently)? I was aware of,  and have done research on, the negative impact of smartphones and other screens such as the hours of scrolling social media, gaming, texting, watching streaming videos or user generated videos on Instagram, TicTok, YouTube.  When decreasing  phone use, health, well-being and productivity often improves. Illustrated by the report  of a 23-year male student who choose to reduce his smartphone use from more than 7 hours to three hours per day for five weeks as part of a class project.

When I observed that I used my phone 7 hours and 38 minutes a day, I was a bit ashamed; since, I believe this time could be used more efficiently. I believed what really made my anxiety higher than normal was being stuck in a loop. I felt my brain so wired to mindlessly scrolling on my phone. 

For my self-healing project, my goal was to spend no more than 1 hour daily on social apps. As a result, I lowered my phone use to less than 3 hours each day for five weeks.  By the third week of this practice, I have begun to find it easier.  I now place my phone in another room so that I can focus on my assignments. I once again found myself being more productive but I also felt another benefit. Improved sleep quality.  Previously, I tended to use the phone right before bed. By cutting down on usage, especially in the evening, I find it easier to fall asleep.

I’ve began to feel comfortable with putting my phone away and hanging out more with friends in person. I’ve notice that when I’m out in public I’m less shy and more open to people.

Constantly checking my phone detracted from being fully present in the moment. I am more engaged in face-to-face interactions with friends, family, and colleagues, and strengthening connections. I’ve also experienced improvements in my passion. I find it much easier to come up with more creative ideas when writing and brainstorming ideas in film for my class. I am glad with the positive effects resulting from decrease by phone use. It opened my eyes to the negative impact of smartphones.

Read Jonathan Haidt’s superb book, Anxious Generation-How the great rewiring of childhood is causing an epidemic of mental illness, and implement his pragmatic suggestions to support the development of health and well-being of young people. Phone use is only part of the problem. The other is the shift in the American culture from “play-based childhood” to “phone-based childhood”.  As Jonathan Haidt points the two trends-overprotection in the real world and underprotection in the virtual world-are the major reasons why children born after 1995 became the anxious generation.