The "Anxious Generation"
Jonathan Haidt's 4 rules on reversing the trend
Have you read the The Anxious Generation? I say that this is a “must read” for any person raising school-aged children in 2024.
With tons of good research and a social psychologist’s POV, Haidt claims that we can reverse the crippling anxiety and failure to launch realities that we all see and know to be true about this generation. These are his “four rules.”
No smartphones before high school.
No social media before 16 years old.
No phones in any schools.
More independence, free play, and responsibility in the real world.
Haidt believes that there is power in communities that band together to agree to live out these “rules” for the sake of our children.
I have said for years that parents who give their children smartphones with social media, no filters, and a browser available is like giving a toddler a loaded gun to play with. It’s the internet in your pocket.
As a parent, I am concerned about pornography exposure, online bullying, an unrealistic standard for beauty and sucess given to my kids, and the cultivation of a rat race of peer approval that never ends. Among other things.
As a pastor, I am concerned about the formation of souls. The anxious generation is a reality because the soul of an entire generation has been formed by technology instead of the Holy Spirit. Make no mistake.
We are all being formed at all times by something.
Your kid’s soul is being formed whether or not you know it, and whether or not you are being intentional about it. As a parent, you cannot form their soul. That is the Spirit’s job. However, it is your job to set the environment for soul formation. Imagine a gardener who takes no responsibility for the plants that she is growing. We expect the gardener to place the various plants in the proper place in the garden according to type and need. What plans interact well with this plant? Does this plant need more shade or more sun? There are certainly factors beyond the gardener’s control. A hurricane may come and destroy the plant. There may be an infestation of termites. The gardener does what she can, with the knowledge and resources she has, to set the most ideal environment for each plant that is in her care. This is our work, as parents.
Hunter fishing with our cousin in CO on our family vacation. Intergenerational relationships form souls. Screen-free time in nature forms souls. Summer is a great time to take extended breaks from screen use.
It is our job to do what we can, with the knowledge and resources we have, to set up the most ideal environment for each child in our care.
Jonathan Heidt is providing an essential resource for us in The Anxious Generation. It is not an opinion piece. These are research supported facts. The “4 rules” he provides are guiding principles that we must take into serious consideration if we are to take seriously our call to form the souls of our children.
What are other “technology” rules you have implemented in your family? How is it going?
If you are in the Houston area, The Vineyard Church is hosting an event for parents on this topic. This will give you resources and practical tools for keeping your kids safe online. Spread the word.