Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

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

11 reviews

angelsplash's review against another edition

challenging hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

A must read for everyone, parents, teachers, and young adults. The language of this book is both harrowing and hopeful. Haidt shows us the horror of what phones have taken from the GenZ generation and their parents. But he also shows us the light at the end of the tunnel, we just have to run towards it. He offers lots of ways we can change things for the better and even admits how hard some of these changes can be for parents specifically. But it's worth it to get our children back from the addictive nature of phones (ironic since I'm using a phone for this). Genuinely recommend everyone read this!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Self harm, and Suicide attempt

skyfluff's review

challenging informative sad medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Dysphoria

pibblemama17's review against another edition

informative inspiring

5.0

Absolutely MUST READ for parents and educators. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

klm2620's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.75

Love the data to back how hat we all suspect when it comes to kids and screen time. Horrifying how deep it can go to affect not just mental health but emotion, and physical health of kids raised on a “digital childhood”. Super interesting that data can show the “great rewiring” across MANY countries (not just US) in 2012 and appreciate all the data and charts he makes available as supplements on the book’s website . Well done and I’ll definitely be recommending to everyone I talk to as well as referring back when j petition our schools to go phone free!!

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Content Warnings

Minor: Eating disorder and Self harm

jehansen127's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria

himpersonal's review against another edition

informative fast-paced

5.0

I’m not really sure how relevant the observations and advice in this book will be in a couple of generations. I think our current younger generations (mostly whom will be unaware of the practices outlined) will figure out how to get through life in different ways out of necessity. What we know about child development will change epigenetically. So I’d be interested in testing this book against the world in about 30 years. Until then, what’s provided seems infinitely beneficial. I can already see it play out in my life a little - my older nephew learned to read and write in Korean as a toddler on YouTube, but there’s a distinct and immediately noticeable difference between him and my niece who only knew Elmo through books and only started getting screen time probably at age four or five, and it was one episode of Daniel Tiger a week and a yoga program she did with her dad. My niece is a lot more excited about new experiences and meeting new people. There are many factors that distinguish them, but I’ve kind believed their access to screen times was a big contributor.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Outing, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

mondovertigo's review against another edition

hopeful informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Bullying, Self harm, and Suicide

vireogirl's review against another edition

challenging hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

Wow, super depressing on smart phones may be affecting the brain development of children. The ideas to fix it seem doable. I hope he's able to get a conversation started that makes a difference. 
There is a surprisingly magical chapter in the middle of the book. It is called Spiritual Elevation and Degradation. "The phone-based life produces spiritual degradation...in all of us." He goes on to talk about collective effervescence and how being together lifts us to a different plane. It was inspiring, and I was surprised to see it between the depressing facts and the practical steps. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Pandemic/Epidemic

kirstieanya's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful informative fast-paced

5.0

Alarming. Concise. Essential.

I didn't really research this book before starting; I just saw a book on anxiety that was free to read, picked it up, and am profoundly glad that I did.

As a childless twenty-something, Gen-Z cusper, I don't think this book was aimed at me; however, it made me contemplate the digital age we live in, how it has impacted me personally, and how it will definitely younger generations.

Every chapter covers a key way in which phone-based lives are changing our mental health. The initial chapters introduce the subject, quoting alarming statistics about the drastic increase in mental health problems in adolescents after 2010 (around the time of the first iPhone with a front-facing camera and the shift towards an appearance-/judging-based social media). 

One of the most interesting sections was the discussion of the ways in which society has changed and the reduction of "free play" due to the "overprotection" of children in real life (a subject, from this book, I have conflicting views on), which led to the increase of unprotected online life.

The author goes on to discuss the key differences between how different media affect boys and girls and the statistics that back this up.

The final chapters make some powerful arguments and suggestions for the ways in which parents, schools, and government could and should protect children from becoming so effected by online content. With the understanding that from now on, social media and online lives will be unavoidable, it provides data-based suggestions on how to limit the damage it can cause. 

This book made me even more grateful to have been past the most vulnerable age when Instagram became as prevalent, addictive, and edited as it is today. This book is essential reading for any parent, teacher, or caregiver. The writing was succinct, understandable, and powerful. As a warning and a manual for current and future carers, I cannot fault this book, and I will definitely re-read it if I ever have children myself.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Mass/school shootings, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

e_f_p21's review against another edition

challenging informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Bullying, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Toxic friendship, and Dysphoria