RWS Hosts Community Enrichment Series Book Talk on “The Anxious Generation”
Community Enrichment Series: Book Talk on The Anxious Generation
Join Us for an Important Conversation
We’re thrilled to invite the RWS community—parents, educators, students, and neighbors—to the upcoming installment of our Community Enrichment Series: a compelling Book Talk on The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. Copies of the book are available by request through the Parents Association!
Why The Anxious Generation Matters
In The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt presents a thought-provoking examination of how modern childhood, reshaped by smartphones, social media, and overprotective parenting, is impacting the mental health of young people.
Haidt argues that beginning in the early 2010s, rising rates of teenage depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide correlate with the proliferation of smartphones and a shift from “play-based” to “phone-based” childhoods. He highlights staggering statistics: for instance, emergency room visits for self-harm rose by 188% among US teenage girls and 48% among boys between 2010 and 2020.
According to Haidt, smartphones act as “experience blockers”—they disrupt in-person interactions, fragment attention, and fuel anxiety, particularly among adolescents, who are developmentally vulnerable.
In a compelling review titled “The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt – a pocket full of poison”, The Guardian underscores the urgency of Haidt’s message. The review lauds the book as “an urgent and persuasive warning” about the dangers of phone-based childhoods, while noting that Haidt’s critique of overprotective parenting is “much less substantiated” than his arguments concerning smartphones (The Guardian).
Community Enrichment Evening
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A Community Conversation: This event isn’t just about reviewing Haidt’s research—it’s about opening a dialogue within our own community. Parents, educators, and friends of RWS will have the chance to share experiences, voice concerns, and reflect on how the challenges Haidt describes are showing up in our daily lives.
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A Waldorf Lens: Waldorf education has long emphasized real-world connection, hands-on learning, and imaginative play as essential foundations for healthy child development. In light of Haidt’s work, we’ll explore how these timeless principles offer guidance in today’s digital landscape—helping us nurture resilience, creativity, and social confidence in our children.
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Practical Takeaways: Together, we’ll consider what meaningful steps families and our school community might take—whether that’s re-establishing boundaries around screen time, reclaiming the value of free play, or finding new ways to support each other as we navigate the “great rewiring of childhood.
The Anxious Generation serves as both a wake-up call and a starting point for our collective reflection: how can we help young people grow with the social confidence, mental resilience, and genuine connection they deserve—even while navigating an increasingly digital world?
We hope you will join us for this meaningful event to explore, understand, and contribute to a thoughtful roadmap forward. Contact Bethany Craig, bcraig@richmondwaldorf.com for more information!
Community Enrichment Series
Richmond Waldorf School is continuing to offer Community Enrichment events that are open to our current families as well as the broader community. All events are taking place on campus Wednesday evenings from 5:30 to 7 pm. Childcare available for currently enrolled students. Click on the link below to RSVP!
