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

Jonathan Haidt's <i>The Anxious Generation</i> (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.