Haidt, J. (2024). The anxious generation: How the great rewiring of childhood is causing an epidemic of mental illness. Penguin Press.Jonathan Haidt is a social psychologist at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992.The Great Rewiring is a phenomenon Haidt attributes to the first generation (Gen Z) to likely grow up with a smartphone combined with parenting shifts toward "overprotecting children and restricting their autonomy in the real world." Haidt asserted, "By designing a firehose of addictive content. . . . and by displacing physical play and in-person socializing," social media "rewired childhood and changed human development on an almost unimaginable scale." The amount of time children spend on their phone contributes to social deprivation, sleep deprivation, attention fragmentation, and addiction. Haidt presents arguments supported by research for why girls' and boys' anxieties are increasing, and mental health is decreasing. Research shows that girls' social lives moved toward social media while boys immersed themselves in video games and hardcore pornography. Haidt found, "social media harms girls more than boys. . . boys are at greater risk than girls for 'failure to launch'." Research also shows that "social media use is a cause, not just a correlate of anxiety and depression." The book's four parts walks the reader through Haidt's arguments: statistics about children's mental health, decline of the play-based childhood and repercussions, the rise of the phone-based childhood including how it affects girls and boys differently, and practical suggestions for government, school, and parental collective action.My brothers and I grew up able to run around the neighborhood and play. It wasn't that we ran amok (ha ha) but I don't recall a great deal of oversight or rules about our play and exploration of the neighborhood. This idea of parenting shifts in response to stranger danger type threats wherein children retreated indoors with a higher level of parental supervision is something new for me. Something I read before but really sunk in with Haidt's presentation was how the reduction of play occurred around the same time that children were exposed to the Internet and then cell phone technology. A retreat inside meant the use of technology to garner children's attention and eventually access to smart phones with free, 24/7 accessibility including unlimited access to social media. Parents and teachers should read this book. It's not an easy read, rather sobering in its effect but Haidt offers strategies suggestive of ways forward. This book would also be good for those interested in technology and human development, mental health, gender studies, and public policies.