Our Elementary Staff have been busy reading and discussing the insightful book The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. As curious and compassionate educators, we connected over the insightful arguments and intriguing discoveries presented in the book. Haidt addresses the rise of anxiety and mental health challenges that appear more prevalent in younger generations, specifically millennials and Gen Z. The author examines possible contributing factors and deems social media and smartphones to be the root cause of the decline in mental health and rise in anxiety in individuals. 

As a staff, we are making our way through the different sections of the book and are meeting on a monthly basis to discuss what we have read. While discussing the first half of the book, our conversation focused a lot on the importance of “free play” in children.  Specifically, Haidt argues that young children need more unsupervised time to play together and resolve challenges and conflict independently, otherwise how else will they learn these skills? As educators, we have a responsibility to supervise children, obviously, but how can we better support students to navigate tricky conversations and disagreements that are bound to exist during free play? 

As educators and parents we are often stepping in between siblings or friends to “help” when a child experiences something challenging, but we need to reconsider whether this help is necessary or indeed helping the children long-term. How will they learn important problem-solving skills if they do not have the time to practice these skills and see which outcomes are favourable? Haidt explains how critical free play is to help a child’s developing brain to handle “emotions, read other children’s emotions, take turns, resolve conflicts and play fair” (p. 53). Smartphones on the other hand are designed as experience blockers; “the addictive design of [online] platforms reduces the time available for face-to-face play in the real world (p. 54). 

Another significant theory suggested by Haidt involves current parenting practices that over-protect in person and under-protect online. His findings suggest parents do not necessarily understand all of the apps students use, the frequency in which they use them and the content to which they are exposed to. Haidt highlights that many parents no longer allow young children to visit the park unsupervised, but the same child is free to watch YouTube videos on repeat. 

Although much of the book proffers a critical evaluation of current parenting practice, all hope is not lost. There are key ways to support the mental health of young children and much of them focus on independence, free play and responsibility. Specifically, the author suggest four reforms to provide a healthier childhood in the digital age:

1: No smartphones before high school.

2. No social media before 16.

3. Phone-free schools.

4. Far more unsupervised play and childhood independence. 

Our staff are curious to finish the book and connect again to determine what we, as compassionate educators, can do to best support our students in this digital-age.