Jonathan, I'm blown away! By going way beyond writing a seminal book on freeing an "anxious generation" and integrating brilliant methods of spreading the message, offering actionable steps for parents and educators, and garnering solid support from readers, you actually present solid hope that change is possible. Thanks for this tremendous work in redirecting childhood back toward a healthy, relational, independent, and reality-based existence!
Expand to screen-free. Tablets as pacifiers in the grocery store, the restaurant, the doctors office = early (toddler age and up) addiction to constant stream of screen-based content that disrupts play and connections with people, animals, beauty, etc.
I'm happy to report that in my own TikTok feed this morning were several videos of moms calling upon other parents form a pact and commit to not giving their young children smart phones. The addicted adults want to spare our kids from the dooms of scrolling! - Erin
Make childhood fun again! Parents must unite to protect our kids from all the anxiety from technology and bad education regarding COVID, climate, race, and trans. Congrats to Jonathan and team for leading the charge.
Thank you for your tireless research on this topic and for your amazing efforts to put this needed social shift into action. Our 17-year-old daughter implemented your recommendations just over a year ago (no smartphone, switch to Apple watch to communicate with family and friends, more independent activities) and she will be the first to tell you how positively life-changing it was. It essentially resolved her anxiety. Thank you again, we owe so much to your work.
In our experience, it seems the most vulnerable population to social media and screen addiction is the 14 to 17-year-old group. My question is, why not extend your recommendation to keep teens off smartphones and social media until age 18, or after high school? It feels like introducing my teenage daughter to social media at 16 would have been the worst possible timing. And with the invention of Apple watches and Gabb-type phones, there are more suitable options to keep kids socially connected without the baggage of smartphones.
I'm thrilled not only that the book has arrived, but to see the Free the Anxious Generation website and movement! I lecture at schools on this topic and always cite your fabulous research and initiatives. I am one of the crusaders for this very important mission. Please let me know if you are putting together a group of leaders to disseminate this information locally to our communities. I'm already doing it as best as I can, but would love to use your resources in any specific way you want them to be used! Thank you again!
Impressive project from research to synthesis to call-for-action to resources for successful implementation. A fine demonstration of how "science" can have an impact when presented wisely and effectively. Well done!! 👏👏
What is to be done though about schools putting all the homework and assignments, online, and when it includes watching YouTube videos? So that when a kid is doing schoolwork ....they are online. Many schools near here are putting the kids online during school supposedly to look at what the school wants but of course it's just a flick of a finger away from everything else anyone puts online, much of it carefully tuned to be attractive and addictive?
I'm really interested in how to restore family and community and I write a lot about it - this sounds like a great contribution to the conversation. Thank you <3
When I was teaching high school Literature in the early 2010s our school had a policy of no phones in class. But it was an honour system because it couldn't be enforced. On one occasion a girl's phone rang in class and she answered it. Ordinarily I'd point to the door to indicate to take it outside but this time I stopped the lesson and waited. Her mum had called because she couldn't find her false eyelashes and did her daughter know where they were. The girl told her mother she was in class but the eyelashes were clearly a priority. The girl was a bit embarrassed but we soon got back to the lesson. Then the phone rang again. The girl blushed, the rest of the class laughed. Mum once more, just to let her daughter know that the eyelashes had been found. What a relief.
This was a parent using the phone to make the child anxious. Not only can parents be enablers of their children's phone use, but I suspect that there is considerable pressure put on children by parents to always have the phone on, "just in case". While I understand if it's Saturday night and the child is out, but at school? The problems caused by phone use are situated in contexts of relationships and we need to explore these in order to gain a more nuanced understanding of the roles these devices play. I have seen some academic research but it has been along the lines of digital boosterism where students' digital lives are lauded as somehow edgy and any criticism is just old-fogeyism.
This gives me so much hope! I preordered your book and look forward to seeing it on my doorstep later today! Your work is amazing and I will help support it anyway I can. Thank you!!
I have ordered this, and cannot wait to read it and share it with my colleagues and clients! I also write the “book of the month” feature for our clinic’s newsletter, and this definitely be featured. Having read a number of your other books, I feel confident about the quality and applicability even before opening the cover. As for the publicity…brilliant!
Why do those on here blame more screen time for more teen suicide and self-harm when the definitive CDC and other surveys show just the opposite? For all ages, sexes, races, and statuses, teens who never/rarely go online (<1 hr/day) suffer greater risk of suicide attempt and self-harm than teens who go online regularly (1-4 hrs/day) or frequently (5+ hrs/day).
The CDC survey consistently shows that teens under age 16 who rarely/never go online suffer the greatest risks of suicide attempt, injurious self-harm, smoking, heroin use, methamphetamine use, cocaine use, school violence, domestic violence, dating violence, rape, gun-carrying, fights, prescription abuse, increased alcohol/drug use, missing school, exercising less than 3 days/week, and having few contacts with supportive people. While some risks like vaping and lack of sleep are similar or worse for online teens, on balance, the worst troubles are concentrated in non-online teens. (I invite downloading and analyzing the full CDC survey and the few broader ones, such as Pew’s.)
Offline teens are slightly more Black or Hispanic, demographics with low suicide rates. Overall, the most troubled teens – those reporting depression, sadness, abuse by parents/adults, suicidal ideation, and female, younger, minority, LGBQ status –are much safer if regularly or frequently online. For example, non-online LGBQ teens who consider suicide are twice as likely as their frequently-online counterparts to attempt suicide and self-harm.
True, the CDC survey associates more screen time with poorer teen mental health. That makes it even more fascinating that the same teens on the same survey associate more screen time with lower risks of suicide attempt, self-harm, and other troubles. Studies fixated on social media missed vital insights into what really generates teens’ unhappiness and how they use social media.
The dangers of both the virtual and real worlds have been wildly exaggerated. Teens don’t need more restrictions.
We need a roadmap of advocacy to articulate a way forward to promote policy changes in the public schools where we live. Letters to the editors of local papers with specific calls to action, so that we’re clear and specific about our intent and our recommendations. Where can we find succinct guidance?
Jonathan, I'm blown away! By going way beyond writing a seminal book on freeing an "anxious generation" and integrating brilliant methods of spreading the message, offering actionable steps for parents and educators, and garnering solid support from readers, you actually present solid hope that change is possible. Thanks for this tremendous work in redirecting childhood back toward a healthy, relational, independent, and reality-based existence!
My 14 year old heard you on Rogan and said, “Mom, we’ve got to order this book!”
Me: “Oh honey, it will be here this week. I pre-ordered that sucker awhile back.”
Love your work!! I keep sending your info to the school… who knows if they’ll listen?!
Expand to screen-free. Tablets as pacifiers in the grocery store, the restaurant, the doctors office = early (toddler age and up) addiction to constant stream of screen-based content that disrupts play and connections with people, animals, beauty, etc.
I'm happy to report that in my own TikTok feed this morning were several videos of moms calling upon other parents form a pact and commit to not giving their young children smart phones. The addicted adults want to spare our kids from the dooms of scrolling! - Erin
Make childhood fun again! Parents must unite to protect our kids from all the anxiety from technology and bad education regarding COVID, climate, race, and trans. Congrats to Jonathan and team for leading the charge.
Jon,
Thank you for your tireless research on this topic and for your amazing efforts to put this needed social shift into action. Our 17-year-old daughter implemented your recommendations just over a year ago (no smartphone, switch to Apple watch to communicate with family and friends, more independent activities) and she will be the first to tell you how positively life-changing it was. It essentially resolved her anxiety. Thank you again, we owe so much to your work.
In our experience, it seems the most vulnerable population to social media and screen addiction is the 14 to 17-year-old group. My question is, why not extend your recommendation to keep teens off smartphones and social media until age 18, or after high school? It feels like introducing my teenage daughter to social media at 16 would have been the worst possible timing. And with the invention of Apple watches and Gabb-type phones, there are more suitable options to keep kids socially connected without the baggage of smartphones.
I'm thrilled not only that the book has arrived, but to see the Free the Anxious Generation website and movement! I lecture at schools on this topic and always cite your fabulous research and initiatives. I am one of the crusaders for this very important mission. Please let me know if you are putting together a group of leaders to disseminate this information locally to our communities. I'm already doing it as best as I can, but would love to use your resources in any specific way you want them to be used! Thank you again!
Impressive project from research to synthesis to call-for-action to resources for successful implementation. A fine demonstration of how "science" can have an impact when presented wisely and effectively. Well done!! 👏👏
Purchased!!! Thank you and your team for all you do.
Thank you and congratulations!
What is to be done though about schools putting all the homework and assignments, online, and when it includes watching YouTube videos? So that when a kid is doing schoolwork ....they are online. Many schools near here are putting the kids online during school supposedly to look at what the school wants but of course it's just a flick of a finger away from everything else anyone puts online, much of it carefully tuned to be attractive and addictive?
I'm really interested in how to restore family and community and I write a lot about it - this sounds like a great contribution to the conversation. Thank you <3
When I was teaching high school Literature in the early 2010s our school had a policy of no phones in class. But it was an honour system because it couldn't be enforced. On one occasion a girl's phone rang in class and she answered it. Ordinarily I'd point to the door to indicate to take it outside but this time I stopped the lesson and waited. Her mum had called because she couldn't find her false eyelashes and did her daughter know where they were. The girl told her mother she was in class but the eyelashes were clearly a priority. The girl was a bit embarrassed but we soon got back to the lesson. Then the phone rang again. The girl blushed, the rest of the class laughed. Mum once more, just to let her daughter know that the eyelashes had been found. What a relief.
This was a parent using the phone to make the child anxious. Not only can parents be enablers of their children's phone use, but I suspect that there is considerable pressure put on children by parents to always have the phone on, "just in case". While I understand if it's Saturday night and the child is out, but at school? The problems caused by phone use are situated in contexts of relationships and we need to explore these in order to gain a more nuanced understanding of the roles these devices play. I have seen some academic research but it has been along the lines of digital boosterism where students' digital lives are lauded as somehow edgy and any criticism is just old-fogeyism.
This gives me so much hope! I preordered your book and look forward to seeing it on my doorstep later today! Your work is amazing and I will help support it anyway I can. Thank you!!
I have ordered this, and cannot wait to read it and share it with my colleagues and clients! I also write the “book of the month” feature for our clinic’s newsletter, and this definitely be featured. Having read a number of your other books, I feel confident about the quality and applicability even before opening the cover. As for the publicity…brilliant!
Why do those on here blame more screen time for more teen suicide and self-harm when the definitive CDC and other surveys show just the opposite? For all ages, sexes, races, and statuses, teens who never/rarely go online (<1 hr/day) suffer greater risk of suicide attempt and self-harm than teens who go online regularly (1-4 hrs/day) or frequently (5+ hrs/day).
The CDC survey consistently shows that teens under age 16 who rarely/never go online suffer the greatest risks of suicide attempt, injurious self-harm, smoking, heroin use, methamphetamine use, cocaine use, school violence, domestic violence, dating violence, rape, gun-carrying, fights, prescription abuse, increased alcohol/drug use, missing school, exercising less than 3 days/week, and having few contacts with supportive people. While some risks like vaping and lack of sleep are similar or worse for online teens, on balance, the worst troubles are concentrated in non-online teens. (I invite downloading and analyzing the full CDC survey and the few broader ones, such as Pew’s.)
Offline teens are slightly more Black or Hispanic, demographics with low suicide rates. Overall, the most troubled teens – those reporting depression, sadness, abuse by parents/adults, suicidal ideation, and female, younger, minority, LGBQ status –are much safer if regularly or frequently online. For example, non-online LGBQ teens who consider suicide are twice as likely as their frequently-online counterparts to attempt suicide and self-harm.
True, the CDC survey associates more screen time with poorer teen mental health. That makes it even more fascinating that the same teens on the same survey associate more screen time with lower risks of suicide attempt, self-harm, and other troubles. Studies fixated on social media missed vital insights into what really generates teens’ unhappiness and how they use social media.
The dangers of both the virtual and real worlds have been wildly exaggerated. Teens don’t need more restrictions.
We need a roadmap of advocacy to articulate a way forward to promote policy changes in the public schools where we live. Letters to the editors of local papers with specific calls to action, so that we’re clear and specific about our intent and our recommendations. Where can we find succinct guidance?