andrearbooks's review against another edition
4.0
iGen: IGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy--and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood--and What That Means for the Rest of Us by Jean Twenge is a book I picked up after hearing the author speak at a conference earlier this month. iGen (also known as Gen Z) is the next generation, and this book explores what the heck they're all about. Y'all this stuff is fascinating. As they're now in college, this is a read that is directly related to the work I do. This book is really interesting stuff, and I'm not just saying that because I work in higher education. It's genuinely interesting to see how different this group is from millenials. It's also fascinating and honestly kind of terrifying to see how they've been impacted by technology.
outandabout's review against another edition
It became somewhat repetitive and I started to see some problems since all the research was done before the pandemic. Really interesting research though and a good start to understanding the newest generation.
jenjen7824's review against another edition
4.0
The studies presented in this book make me never want to give My daughter to get on social media. That coupled with the fact that I just watched the documentary, The Social Dilemma, makes me not even want to give her a phone! The book has definitely led my husband and I having some conversations about how we want to parent our daughter.
michael_kelleher's review against another edition
3.0
Listened on double speed. A lot of the info/statistics was depressing (mental health struggles, the uphill battle that is dependence on social media, etc.). And the “good news” of iGen-ers being generally more cautious, drinking less, less teen sex & pregnancy, etc. might be sort-of bad news too if they are less ready to be adults when it is time to spread their wings…
Anyway, I was encouraged to keep up on our commitment to limit kids access to phones/social media until they are older teens and more capable of handling the emotional environment. This advice in one of the later chapters I will post here so I can find it easily when it’s time for my kids to have their own phones:
- install apps that limit time on the internet or social media/video game apps. Setting limits helps prevent the phone being a constant focus.
- do not sleep near the phone (ideally put it in another room). Sleep is important and phones are keeping kids from getting the needed rest and mental breaks.
- dinner time: everyone puts their phones down & on silent during dinner. If you’re out with friends insist on this. Make it a game: whoever picks up their phone first has to pay for dinner! (I suppose this works if you and your friends can afford to just buy dinner for everyone…)
- no nude pics!!!! This seems obvious and yet too many kids get caught up in this and it can be massively damaging and produces an opportunity for exploitation, bullying, manipulation.
- porn prevention - aside from moral reasons, there is also the brain health/relationship health reasons. iGen is less interested in genuine human connection and at times finding themselves actually incapable of connecting with someone in real life due to porn addiction and the disconnect between what they see/expect as portrayed in porn versus what sex is actually like or what a partner might actually want.
- what social media app seems best for healthy kids? Maybe Snapchat. (I don’t have much familiarity with Snapchat except that kids often think “this disappears” means that no one will ever know what is said/posted there…kids should always keep in mind screen shots and the possibility that even on snap chat something could be made public permanently…) This author suggests that SnapChat may be the best option for the following reasons: they mainly interact with actual friends, not the general internet; it’s not a “curated feed” to create a certain online image of themselves, but disappears so there is less pressure to present a certain version of themselves; not searchable, so possibly harder to come across questionable content.
Anyway, I was encouraged to keep up on our commitment to limit kids access to phones/social media until they are older teens and more capable of handling the emotional environment. This advice in one of the later chapters I will post here so I can find it easily when it’s time for my kids to have their own phones:
- install apps that limit time on the internet or social media/video game apps. Setting limits helps prevent the phone being a constant focus.
- do not sleep near the phone (ideally put it in another room). Sleep is important and phones are keeping kids from getting the needed rest and mental breaks.
- dinner time: everyone puts their phones down & on silent during dinner. If you’re out with friends insist on this. Make it a game: whoever picks up their phone first has to pay for dinner! (I suppose this works if you and your friends can afford to just buy dinner for everyone…)
- no nude pics!!!! This seems obvious and yet too many kids get caught up in this and it can be massively damaging and produces an opportunity for exploitation, bullying, manipulation.
- porn prevention - aside from moral reasons, there is also the brain health/relationship health reasons. iGen is less interested in genuine human connection and at times finding themselves actually incapable of connecting with someone in real life due to porn addiction and the disconnect between what they see/expect as portrayed in porn versus what sex is actually like or what a partner might actually want.
- what social media app seems best for healthy kids? Maybe Snapchat. (I don’t have much familiarity with Snapchat except that kids often think “this disappears” means that no one will ever know what is said/posted there…kids should always keep in mind screen shots and the possibility that even on snap chat something could be made public permanently…) This author suggests that SnapChat may be the best option for the following reasons: they mainly interact with actual friends, not the general internet; it’s not a “curated feed” to create a certain online image of themselves, but disappears so there is less pressure to present a certain version of themselves; not searchable, so possibly harder to come across questionable content.
lordcheez's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting book about the generation currently in high school and college, she calls it, iGen for her company, most people call them GenZ. Interesting, intentionally shocking, like most of books like this, she mixes anecdotal evidence with statistics in order to make her point, but overall fine.
marcy_kelleher's review against another edition
3.0
Listened on double speed. A lot of the info/statistics was depressing (mental health struggles, the uphill battle that is dependence on social media, etc.). And the “good news” of iGen-ers being generally more cautious, drinking less, less teen sex & pregnancy, etc. might be sort-of bad news too if they are less ready to be adults when it is time to spread their wings…
Anyway, I was encouraged to keep up on our commitment to limit kids access to phones/social media until they are older teens and more capable of handling the emotional environment. This advice in one of the later chapters I will post here so I can find it easily when it’s time for my kids to have their own phones:
- install apps that limit time on the internet or social media/video game apps. Setting limits helps prevent the phone being a constant focus.
- do not sleep near the phone (ideally put it in another room). Sleep is important and phones are keeping kids from getting the needed rest and mental breaks.
- dinner time: everyone puts their phones down & on silent during dinner. If you’re out with friends insist on this. Make it a game: whoever picks up their phone first has to pay for dinner! (I suppose this works if you and your friends can afford to just buy dinner for everyone…)
- no nude pics!!!! This seems obvious and yet too many kids get caught up in this and it can be massively damaging and produces an opportunity for exploitation, bullying, manipulation.
- porn prevention - aside from moral reasons, there is also the brain health/relationship health reasons. iGen is less interested in genuine human connection and at times finding themselves actually incapable of connecting with someone in real life due to porn addiction and the disconnect between what they see/expect as portrayed in porn versus what sex is actually like or what a partner might actually want.
- what social media app seems best for healthy kids? Maybe Snapchat. (I don’t have much familiarity with Snapchat except that kids often think “this disappears” means that no one will ever know what is said/posted there…kids should always keep in mind screen shots and the possibility that even on snap chat something could be made public permanently…) This author suggests that SnapChat may be the best option for the following reasons: they mainly interact with actual friends, not the general internet; it’s not a “curated feed” to create a certain online image of themselves, but disappears so there is less pressure to present a certain version of themselves; not searchable, so possibly harder to come across questionable content.
Anyway, I was encouraged to keep up on our commitment to limit kids access to phones/social media until they are older teens and more capable of handling the emotional environment. This advice in one of the later chapters I will post here so I can find it easily when it’s time for my kids to have their own phones:
- install apps that limit time on the internet or social media/video game apps. Setting limits helps prevent the phone being a constant focus.
- do not sleep near the phone (ideally put it in another room). Sleep is important and phones are keeping kids from getting the needed rest and mental breaks.
- dinner time: everyone puts their phones down & on silent during dinner. If you’re out with friends insist on this. Make it a game: whoever picks up their phone first has to pay for dinner! (I suppose this works if you and your friends can afford to just buy dinner for everyone…)
- no nude pics!!!! This seems obvious and yet too many kids get caught up in this and it can be massively damaging and produces an opportunity for exploitation, bullying, manipulation.
- porn prevention - aside from moral reasons, there is also the brain health/relationship health reasons. iGen is less interested in genuine human connection and at times finding themselves actually incapable of connecting with someone in real life due to porn addiction and the disconnect between what they see/expect as portrayed in porn versus what sex is actually like or what a partner might actually want.
- what social media app seems best for healthy kids? Maybe Snapchat. (I don’t have much familiarity with Snapchat except that kids often think “this disappears” means that no one will ever know what is said/posted there…kids should always keep in mind screen shots and the possibility that even on snap chat something could be made public permanently…) This author suggests that SnapChat may be the best option for the following reasons: they mainly interact with actual friends, not the general internet; it’s not a “curated feed” to create a certain online image of themselves, but disappears so there is less pressure to present a certain version of themselves; not searchable, so possibly harder to come across questionable content.
davehershey's review against another edition
4.0
You've probably seen articles and heard stories about Millennials; for the last few many years talk of Millennials, the generation after Gen-X, has been all the rage. Except...Millennials are kind of old now. The best place to divide the generations is 1995, which makes the youngest Millennials 23. Following the Millennials is a generation some call Gen Z (since Millennials were Gen Y). A better title is iGen which reflects this generation's status as digital natives.
Why 1995? Facebook opened to kids young as 13, so these kids could lie about their age when they were 11 or 12 and get Facebook. More than that, smartphones became ubiquitous in 2011, right when this group was in high school. Really, smartphones defines this generation. According to the research in this book, nearly everything about this generation relates back to smartphones. If not smartphones, then safety.
This generation desires safety. They grow up slower. Perhaps since their parents have fewer children, their parents then work hard to ensure their safety since fewer children means less chances to pass on our genes. Plus, with the recession of 2008 happening during their teen years, these kids saw their parents experience financial stress. So they desire financial security.
Then there's smartphones. iGeners are more likely to hang out alone at home then previous generations; they interact more with peers virtually through phones then in person (note, this is all statistics compared to previous generation. Lots of them still go to malls!). Because they spend less time together in person, they party less, have sex less and kill each other less than previous generations (since you need to around people for those things). On the other hand, being on screens makes them more depressed and suicide rates have grown.
This book is not difficult to read and is truly eye opening. I work with college students and have noticed changes over the years. This book put words and data to much I've seen, so I appreciate it. If you work with young people, check this one out.
It also makes me wonder what my kids generation will be. If a generation is roughly 15 years, iGen's last babies were born around 2010. My kids were born 2011 and 2014. My prediction - they never own cars as Uber and other services, as well as self-driving cars, take over.
Why 1995? Facebook opened to kids young as 13, so these kids could lie about their age when they were 11 or 12 and get Facebook. More than that, smartphones became ubiquitous in 2011, right when this group was in high school. Really, smartphones defines this generation. According to the research in this book, nearly everything about this generation relates back to smartphones. If not smartphones, then safety.
This generation desires safety. They grow up slower. Perhaps since their parents have fewer children, their parents then work hard to ensure their safety since fewer children means less chances to pass on our genes. Plus, with the recession of 2008 happening during their teen years, these kids saw their parents experience financial stress. So they desire financial security.
Then there's smartphones. iGeners are more likely to hang out alone at home then previous generations; they interact more with peers virtually through phones then in person (note, this is all statistics compared to previous generation. Lots of them still go to malls!). Because they spend less time together in person, they party less, have sex less and kill each other less than previous generations (since you need to around people for those things). On the other hand, being on screens makes them more depressed and suicide rates have grown.
This book is not difficult to read and is truly eye opening. I work with college students and have noticed changes over the years. This book put words and data to much I've seen, so I appreciate it. If you work with young people, check this one out.
It also makes me wonder what my kids generation will be. If a generation is roughly 15 years, iGen's last babies were born around 2010. My kids were born 2011 and 2014. My prediction - they never own cars as Uber and other services, as well as self-driving cars, take over.
lookingtoheaven's review against another edition
4.0
Very interesting read. Lots of data and comparative information. Well done