The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness

1. General Impressions

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

• Haidt’s central claim is that the integration of digital technology into childhood is causing a mental health crisis. Did you find this argument convincing? Why or why not? 
• Did the fact that Haidt is concerned specifically with the well-being of children and adolescents impact your reception of his claims? Would his argument be more or less effective if it dealt more explicitly with adult experiences of technology?
• Before reading The Anxious Generation, had you encountered any explorations of technology’s impact on human psychology? Did The Anxious Generation offer anything new in this respect? 

2. Personal Reflection and Connection

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and arguments with their personal experiences and perspectives.

• Haidt locates the “Great Rewiring” between 2010-2015. Did you grow up during this period? If so, how do Haidt’s arguments about the negative impacts of digital technology reflect your own experiences? If not, do you remember technological changes during your childhood or adolescence that significantly shifted the way you interacted with the world? How does that experience compare to what Haidt describes? 
• What sorts of games do you remember playing as a child? Looking back, do you think you benefited from play in the ways Haidt outlines?
• Haidt links his critique of technology’s role in childhood to “safetyism” in parenting.