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thisislauraw 's review for:
informative
slow-paced
I'm 10 years too old to be part of Haidt's Anxious Generation. Growing up, I didn't have social media until MySpace came along, and by that time I was already 18. From my late teens I had basically unrestricted access to the internet, with no parental controls, and there was no censoring of online content like there is now. As an older teen, I had access to things people would find unthinkable now. Still, I didn't have the kind of all-consuming digital world in my pocket that today's children and teenagers have.
Chapter 2 of this book talks about the gradual loss of play-based childhood. I can definitely relate to that, even before smartphones came along. I was never an outdoorsy 'play with the kids in the neighbourhood' child. I always preferred to play indoors on my own, making up stories or reading. I won't deny that once my family got a computer, I spent a good amount of time on it, but most of that time was spent without internet access, and instead playing with Encarta 95, Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, or Math Rescue. Still, I can see the author's point that I was missing out on socially developmental play and activities in the real world. I can easily see how Gen Z have missed out on a lot more, and had anxieties piled on them, by having 24/7 access to smartphones and social media.
Haidt's points throughout the book are backed up by science, and he references studies from various countries, not just USA/Canada/UK, which was good to see.
It was interesting to read about how social media and 24/7 access to the digital world harms girls and boys in different ways, which is something I hadn't really considered before.
The book did begin to drag and feel repetitive towards the end, but overall it was an enlightening read, with some interesting ideas on how governments, tech companies, schools, and parents could take action.
Do I think they’d work? I’m leaning towards ‘probably not’. Will they ever be implemented on a wide scale? I’m almost certain they won’t.
Chapter 2 of this book talks about the gradual loss of play-based childhood. I can definitely relate to that, even before smartphones came along. I was never an outdoorsy 'play with the kids in the neighbourhood' child. I always preferred to play indoors on my own, making up stories or reading. I won't deny that once my family got a computer, I spent a good amount of time on it, but most of that time was spent without internet access, and instead playing with Encarta 95, Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, or Math Rescue. Still, I can see the author's point that I was missing out on socially developmental play and activities in the real world. I can easily see how Gen Z have missed out on a lot more, and had anxieties piled on them, by having 24/7 access to smartphones and social media.
Haidt's points throughout the book are backed up by science, and he references studies from various countries, not just USA/Canada/UK, which was good to see.
It was interesting to read about how social media and 24/7 access to the digital world harms girls and boys in different ways, which is something I hadn't really considered before.
The book did begin to drag and feel repetitive towards the end, but overall it was an enlightening read, with some interesting ideas on how governments, tech companies, schools, and parents could take action.
Do I think they’d work? I’m leaning towards ‘probably not’. Will they ever be implemented on a wide scale? I’m almost certain they won’t.