by Marty Green ·
Friday, March 21, 2025
Jonathan Haidt’s 2024 book “The Anxious Generation” has been on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list for 50 weeks and still ranks near the top of that list. Haidt, a social psychologist, points out that levels of anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicide have risen sharply among teenagers since smartphones became widespread about 15 years ago. Parents, he says, have become overprotective in the real world but underprotective in the virtual world. He also proposes ways schools and parents can work together to tackle the problem.
When Harvard parent and PTO member Barbara Romero suggested making Haidt’s book the subject of a townwide book talk, she got an enthusiastic response from other parents, educators, and the wider community. The book talk is scheduled for Tuesday, April 8, from 6 to 8 p.m., at Hildreth Elementary School, with registration on the Harvard PTO website.
A panel of community experts will lead off the discussion. Panelists include the school principals, health and guidance educators, parents with related professional experience, and students. After the panel presentation, people will be able to join breakout groups focused on different ages, from pre-kindergarten through high school, as well as a group for teachers.
The high level of interest among Harvard teachers shows the local relevance of the topic. When Bromfield Middle School Principal Dan Hudder asked teachers if they were interested in taking part, 50 teachers requested copies of the book. The Harvard Schools Trust supplied those copies.
As an educator, Hudder says he has seen concerns about students’ fixation on social media and online games for a long time. He hopes the book discussion will start a conversation about ways to collaborate on norms and values—“about what it means to be a kid” with outdoor play, group board games, and other in-person social connections.
Speaking as a parent and not as a School Committee member, Suzie Allen says her interest in Haidt’s book was sparked when she heard about it from her pediatric colleagues. She sees the book discussion as a starting point for community action. Her goal, she says, is “No judgment, no mandates.” But, she emphasizes, “The problem can’t just fall on the schools. … We will be stronger if we have some alignments” among grades, ages, or even sports teams, on when phones can come out and when they should be put away.
Courtney Barbato, a local parent who is a social worker at another high school, describes smartphones as “social pacifiers.” Of social media’s effect on students, she says, “It can inhibit their drive to start a conversation with someone new.” In the school where she works, she says the cafeteria “is quieter than I’d like it to be,” because students stare at their phones rather than converse with one another.
Barbato particularly likes the strategies Haidt provides at the end of his book because they are collaborative. It’s hard for parents on their own to limit a teenager’s phone use, she says; it’s more effective for a group of parents to agree on some ground rules. “And the schools need collaboration from the community,” she says.
There is no limit on the number of people who can attend the April 8 book discussion. But the schools are asking those who plan to attend to register at the PTO website so the organizers can arrange right-sized rooms for the various breakout groups. The Harvard Public Library has extra copies of “The Anxious Generation,” with a waitlist; and the Little Bee Bookshop in Ayer is offering a discount on purchase of the book.