Published in English in 2024, Anxious generation (Les Arènes) by the American psychologist Jonathan Haidt has caused a lot of noise in the scientific community. The book notably played a key role in the adoption of a law in Florida prohibiting access to social networks for those under 16 (except with parental authorization), which came into force on January 1. Some parts are particularly interesting. Jonathan Haidt explores the idea that Generation Z is overprotected in the real world but insufficiently supervised in the virtual world. The author sees the smartphone as a tool for parental control rather than a vector of emancipation. Often given to make travel safer or limit the time spent “hanging out” outside, it offers an illusion of control to parents while exposing children to “Wild West” digital: few rules, increased risks for their data, their mental health and their psychological integrity.
Haidt also calls for introspection on the use of smartphones by parents themselves, emphasizing that these devices should not disrupt the social interactions essential to the healthy development of young children. It also addresses the risks associated with adolescent puberty, which leads to changes in brain connectivity and increased sensitivity to social interactions. This phase of their development can make them more permeable to psychological disorders, and particularly vulnerable to social networks which can accelerate individual fragilities with their predatory designs.
Other passages are very questionable, in particular when the author seeks to establish causality by relying on graphs showing the evolution of suicide rates or symptoms of depression, superimposed on periods corresponding to the arrival of smartphones. This is a causal link not supported by scientific literature. For example, suicides are not directly attributed to social networks according to the current state of knowledge. Likewise, the relationship between social media and depression or anxiety appears much more complex. The problem lies in Jonathan Haidt’s carelessness in adopting a fallacious line of reasoning known as post hoc, ergo propter hoc : If suicide rates and smartphone use increase simultaneously, then smartphones would be the cause of suicides. This positioning is more of an ideological approach than a scientific one.
Education rather than prohibition
This ideology is also found when the author evokes the social contagion of the trans phenomenon. He suggests that gender dysphoria is perhaps linked to a fashion phenomenon and that social networks are particularly leading young girls towards this trend. This statement is not supported by any solid study to our knowledge. Haidt also writes that young boys would take refuge in video games rather than leave the parental home, but this assertion also lacks reliable basis.
Among the solutions proposed, we find great classics: the establishment of a digital majority at 16, parental assistance to delay the age of the first smartphone and schools without telephones. On the other hand, the absence of proposals around media education is striking. The focus on bans risks simply postponing problems rather than solving them.
Contrasting the virtual world with the real world is a mistake. Social networks are only an extension of the social and cultural dynamics of our society, sometimes amplifying its dysfunctions. Rather than subscribing to the idea of “the great rewiring,” I prefer a vision where society integrates these digital spaces, with their dangers and opportunities. If certain risks, such as minors’ access to pornography, must be regulated, others, such as the influence of social networks, require real media education. A society that educates its young people will always be preferable to a society that prohibits.
The recommendations for parents are relevant, although the book has shortcomings regarding media education. In conclusion, while some parts are based on scientific studies, others mix personal opinions and testimonies. I will therefore recommend Anxious Generation as a book of opinion, remembering that it is part of a very English-speaking social context.
*Séverine Erhel is a researcher in cognitive psychology and ergonomics. She is a member of the Psychology, Cognition, Behavior and Communication Laboratory at Rennes 2 University.
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