The Harmful and Addictive Effects of the Internet

In The Anxious Generation, the author focuses on the mental health of young Americans, adolescents, and students, which has deteriorated sharply and generally since the early 2010s.

Noting that the phenomenon was also affecting all Western countries, he ruled out causes that could have stemmed from a specifically American context and from cyclical economic or political factors.

Analyzing numerous large-scale studies documenting anxiety disorders, depression, self-harm, suicide attempts, and suicide, the rates of which skyrocketed from that fateful period of 2010 to 2015, the American psychologist links the emergence of new phenomena arising from the advent of high-speed Internet: the introduction of smartphones, unlimited mobile Internet access, and the exponential growth of social media.

The behavioral shifts affecting a large portion of the population are not without consequences for young people. The number of hours spent on screens, day and night, causes a disconnection from the real world and a lack of practical experiences necessary for personal development (particularly through organized free play among children). This leads to a decline in relationships with those around us, from whom we distance ourselves, a loss of real communication, and a withdrawal into oneself, accompanied by disruption and often a loss of sleep.

Furthermore, the stereotypes disseminated by influencers induce behaviors of imitation and identification that create uncontrollable stress in many young people, due to the impossibility of matching the models displayed, for many of them. This tension is even more pronounced among teenage girls, who are more sensitive to the dictates of physical appearance and social recognition.

Boys, for their part, are not immune to the isolation and addiction, but they are more inclined toward violent video games and pornography. All are captivated by the endless stream of videos posted by others and feel compelled to participate in this race for social recognition, producing photos and videos that accentuate the constant and anguished display of their existential emptiness.

The conclusion is clear: the childhood of games has given way to the childhood of smartphones, denounces Jonathan Haidt, while pointing to the real-world overprotection of children by their parents and American laws, and, paradoxically, the incredible freedom they enjoy in the virtual world. But far from being defeatist, the author campaigns for a reversal of the situation. 

After dissecting the origins and causes of this health and social disaster—even if the author does not primarily adopt a moral perspective—Jonathan Haidt challenges parents, teachers, politicians, and those behind the system to save young people from the wreckage they have observed.

We must restore children's desire to play freely, give them the opportunity to assume responsibilities commensurate with their age, and thus rediscover a taste for a real life conducive to friendships and everything that fosters a love of life.

Perhaps naive in many of the proposals he presents—given the enormous economic stakes of this manipulation scientifically assumed by GAFAM—the author advocates for a world where smartphones will be used later in life so as not to harm brain development and the learning that results, and where taking into account the danger faced by the greatest number of parents will foster the emergence of collective responses, capable of encouraging young people to come together to share real-life activities that are once again made possible.

The power of the conformist mindset must be reversed to make this behavioral shift possible. "Social media are in fact the most effective generators of conformity ever invented" (p. 74).

Despite some questionable naturalist theories and references to the most diverse religious beliefs used to support his argument, the author, who calls himself an atheist (p. 237), has the merit of raising the question of the harmfulness of social media for spiritual life. In conclusion, The Anxious Generation can make us reflect on a social phenomenon that continues to destroy individuals, social relationships, and, ultimately, the proper use of human freedom.

The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, Jonathan Haidt (Penguin Press, March 26, 2024).