The “great rewiring” occurred between 2010 and 2015 when people first had instantly accessible social media in their pockets. This shift in habitus disproportionately impacted children going through puberty, leading to an increase in anxiety and depression. The statistics are undeniable that mental health has seriously declined during and following these years, but people are quick to say, “correlation doesn’t mean causation.” Jonathan Haidt argues that there is evidence to support a causal relationship.

Declining mental health in young people did not begin during the great rewiring, but in the 1980s and 90s when helicopter parenting limited children’s play-based education and socialization. Unfettered access to smartphones during puberty exacerbated the problem. Ironically, we increased our children’s physical safety while simultaneously exposing them to digital threat.

This is an interesting book to read from a practical theological perspective. Haidt (I’m assuming unknowingly) follows Richard Osmer’s four-step practical theological cycle:

1. What’s going on? Children are more anxious and depressed.
2. Why is it going on? This is the core of the book, where Haidt surveys the problem from various angles.
3. What should be going on? Haidt suggests a secular “spiritual elevation” in chapter 8.
4. What ought we to do about it? Haidt offers a clear and bold four-point response.

I must say that Haidt’s “spiritual elevation” chapter was the most disappointing. It’s not only that from a Christian perspective, I found his suggestions lackluster. Rather, this chapter felt disconnected from the logic and flow of the rest of the book. That said, chapter 8 was the only weak point. The rest of the book demands a serious reading.

The solution should treat social media like we treat cigarettes. Adults can make their own decisions but children should be protected. In order to protect our children, Haidt advocates for:

1. No smartphones before high school
2. No social media before 16
3. Phone-free schools
4. Far more unsupervised play and childhood independence

The government in past decades has acted in the face of mounting evidence of harm to heavily regulate and limit the reach of tobacco companies to children. Does our government have the will to resist the even larger social media and technology companies that actively seek to enslave our children? That question remains to be answered.

Haidt, Jonathan. The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. Penguin Press, 2024.