Book Wise

Is Social Media Ruining Us? Insights from “The Anxious Generation”

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About the episode

Have you ever found yourself lying in bed, doom-scrolling through TikTok, wondering why the heck you’re still awake at 3 am looking at Caesar salad wrap recipes?

Well, my friend, you're not alone—and it turns out there's a whole generation feeling this way. On this episode of Book Wise, Britt Brewer a.k.a. Dr. Books dives into Jonathan Haidt’s eye-opening bestseller “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness” to examine how social media is rewiring the young minds of today, leading to some not-so-fun stuff like mental health decline, body image issues, and (ugh) cyber bullying.

But don’t worry, this isn’t a total downer of an episode! Dr. Books will also be sharing four practical steps that you can take to help combat the chaos of being “too online,” especially for young folks. So close that Insta tab for a sec, put down the phone, and get ready to dive deep into the swirling vortex of modern technology and its impact on mental health.

Free Summaries

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt examines the sharp rise in youth mental health issues since the early 2010s, driven by smartphones and social media. Haidt links the decline of independent, play-based childhoods to the rise of a phone-based lifestyle, which has caused increases in depression, anxiety, and self-harm, especially among girls. He explores how social media, addiction, sleep loss, and social comparison have damaged kids' mental well-being. Haidt also provides solutions, offering simple steps for parents, educators, and governments to restore healthier childhoods and protect future generations from the psychological harms of tech.