A Distracted Generation
Taking a trip down memory lane, I vividly recall witnessing fights, student altercations during lunch, instances of verbal disputes, and, in rare cases, incidents of extreme violence such as stabbings or killings. While peer pressure, hazing, and occasional encounters with bullies were commonplace, the overall climate was mild. Fast forward to 2025, and the landscape has experienced a seismic shift. Today’s youth are not only exposed to heightened forms of conflict, aggression, and violence but are also eye-witnessing mass shootings at school in record fashion, cyberbullying, unwanted video sharing, and social media shaming.
The challenges mentioned earlier are just a fraction of what has fractured this generation’s social developmental and psychological and emotional well-being. Johnathan Haidt addresses this concern in his book The Anxious Generation. The premise of his writing centers on how to reclaim human life for human beings in all generations.
A parent himself, Haidt diagnoses the struggle of parenting in this emerging digital environment and unpacks the tension invading millions of households. There is a departure from everyday life into the virtual world of slow or no return. Using the average teen who gets seven hours of sleep as an example, Haidt provides an alarming statistic. (He/She) …gets about 11 notifications per waking hour or one every five minutes. [1]
From this, he unveils four potential harms that occur as a result; social depravation, sleep deprivation, attention fragmentation, and addiction, creating what he describes as an anxious generation. Although his writing and research are aimed at children and youth, these results easily overflow to adult populations, causing me to cringe at the effects of what we refer to as staying connected. Citing how the mental illness crisis rose alongside the digital world in the early 2010s, affecting youth in their developmental stage, I pondered how much this has spilled over into adult circles with the rising numbers of emotional and mental illness cases coupled with substance abuse and suicide.
To counter the crisis facing our children, Haidt proposes four reforms:
- no smartphones before high school.
- no social media before age 16.
- phone-free schools.
- far more unsupervised play and childhood independence to encourage the natural development of social skills and self-governance.
One perspective Haidt raises that resonates with me is his call for safetyism. He defines safetyism as an experience blocker. It prevents children from getting the quantity and variety of real-life experiences that they need.[2]
As children and adolescents navigate an era of unprecedented societal change, they are being compelled daily to critically assess, interpret, and adapt to the vicissitudes of an ever-evolving life. A compelling argument can be made that the rapid advancement of technology and global connectivity has prematurely ushered younger generations into adult domains, exposing them to mature realities before they have fully developed the cognitive and emotional frameworks to process them. Consequently, the adult community now finds itself in a reactive position rather than proactive, seeking regulation through legislation.
I am reminded of the biblical account of David and Goliath. As the young shepherd boy slaying the overarching giant, I could not lose sight of an overlooked fact; David should have never been forced to fight Goliath. He was left to fight a giant simply because the older generation failed to take action. What comes to mind in this instance is how many within the adult population resisted and or refused to enter into the digital space and now consequently find themselves trying to catch a horse that has already left the stable.
Haidt suggests these reforms do not require much, saying they cost almost nothing. They will work even if we never get help from our legislators.[3] Maybe he needs to travel here to my home state. Here in New York, the Governor has introduced a legislative proposal calling for the banning of cell phone use for K-12 students for the entire school day. Her proposal also calls for $13.5 million in funding to be made available for schools that need assistance in purchasing storage solutions to help them become distraction-free.
While the Governor’s argument lines up with much of Haidt’s summations, I also weigh in on the fact teachers are underpaid, and many schools have been forced to make cuts in much-needed areas. While I do not diminish the gravity of this complexity, it is extremely difficult to come to grips with the possibility we now must invest 13.5 million dollars in an effort to curb distractions. Haidt does ask a question that is genuinely something worth pondering. Are screen-based experiences less valuable than real-life experiences? [4]
Although the bible instructs us to be anxious for nothing, we appear to be anxious over everything. The latest plane crashes have left many on edge with a fear of flying as toppled and crashed planes are etched in our memories. Creating healthy alternatives is certainly a great remedy, but I feel we are triaging a hemorrhage in some ways. Haidt does attempt to give balance to his research and data by offering practical and anecdotal steps for parents and adults to recapture engagement. He hopes to let teens grow more confident and competent by engaging in the real world. [5] The challenge I find with some of his suggestions is their realistic nature. In one instance, he recommends a part-time job as a means of youth empowerment, but this may reduce screen time for some. We are all aware youth still find a way to gravitate toward their devices even in the workplace and any other space. Gen Z has emerged to become the first digitally native generation, we must now create space for a new anxious generation that can longer be confined to an age group, but rather an age in time.
[1] Haidt, Jonathan. 2025. The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. 1st edition. Penguin.126.
[2] Haidt, 97
[3] Haidt, 15.
[4] Haidt, 99
[5] Haidt, 284.
About the Author
Daren Jaime
18 responses to “A Distracted Generation”
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Daren,
Knowing where you live and your involvement as a pastor and chaplain let me ask you a question about overprotection. You did not address this in your post, but given your context I believe you will have a good perspective. If you had young children today, living in the metropolitan area that you do, at what age would you allow your children to walk places around the city without adult supervision (walk to a park, walk to a friend’s house, etc.)? Has that age changed from when you were a child? If so, what influenced the change?
Hey Jeff. Depending on the age of the child. By dark we need clear communication. In all parts of the city. Unsupervised really does not happen until mid teen years but then that is also socio based. If Kids are driven everywhere they are not prone to walking unsupervised. But if there is no transportation, walking unsupervised can be a common occurrence as in walking home from school which leads to walking in the city unsupervised. But in an ideal situation I would not want my child walking unsupervised until their teen years- 14 plus maybe.
Daren,
Thanks for your reply. Just trying to understand various contexts. My Amish neighbors have their kids walk two or more miles to school unsupervised and they can be as young as 6.
Thanks Daren I really appreciate your perspective on this. If you could reallocate the 13.5 million dollars, and the teachers weren’t underpaid, where would you allocate it?
Ryan, you know I read this book and thought of you. I would take the 13.5 million and give them to teachers and administrators who are underpaid. I also could see fine arts and sports seeing allocation. They are predominantly the first cuts in education.
Hi Daren, Your post rings true. Thank you. While I don’t think it is totally impossible, I agree that with your comment that we might be triaging a hemmorrhage. My question is if you think there is enough resolve among parents, schools, and the community at large to do the hard work to make a difference in the lives of the young people most impacted by social media?
Hey Diane! We are way out of the gate, but regulation could be effective if there was collective buy-in, but the opposing force is mighty. Change can be accomplished whenever that group you mentioned gets on one accord. I’m just not optimistic about this social climate.
Hi Daren, thanks for the reply. Sadly, I agree with you.
Hi Daren,
What are your thoughts on Haidt’s view of safetyism as an experience blocker, and how do you think parents and educators can balance protecting children while still allowing them to gain the real-life experiences they need?
Hey Shela, Parents and educators can balance protection and experience by setting clear boundaries. If we can count calories for healthy living, maybe screen time limits and designated tech-free zones would help. Creating opportunities for real-world interactions can also be a plus. Schools can reinforce responsible tech use while integrating it into their curriculums. Positive and engaging offline activities—like sports, arts, and community service could help to foster social coping skills and resilience.
Hi Daren, I appreciate this thought-provoking post. I especially resonated with your statement, “Consequently, the adult community now finds itself in a reactive position rather than proactive, seeking regulation through legislation.” This is true. After reading “Anxious Generation,” I have been reflecting on whether or not adults are doing a good job of meeting this anxious, rewired generation where they are. Haidt’s ideas for less phone use and more real-world experiences are beneficial, but are we prescribing this because it “worked for us?” This is just a thought. I will ask you the same question I asked Chad because I believe you have a unique opportunity as a church leader. Knowing the harmful impact of excessive digital use and people’s need for God’s redemption, what proactive steps can the church take to equip families and young people to better navigate our digital world?
Hey Elysse, The Bible talks about not being given wine but taking it in moderation. We can argue that, as the church, we can preach and teach about balance and moderation, as this could be an option. Also, creating spaces for interactive workshops on this topic hosted in churches during the weekend can be equally advantageous.
Hi Daren,
You mentioned opting out until the horse left the stable. How do you recommend older generation can best engage with younger to help reclaim the digital space?
Hey, Julie, For many of adults, it is just entering the space. There is a fear, as many are resistant simply because it is overwhelming with many ignorant of the digital world. Hosting intergenerational discussions on consumption and content could be an ideal. These could be interactive and intergenerational learning experiences. I can think of intergenerational contests such as “download that. App” Not Simon says, but, “What Google says.” Also, creating faith-based or educational content and modeling positive online behavior can inspire youth.
Daren, You highlight Haidt’s argument that “safetyism” acts as an “experience blocker,” depriving young people of critical real-world challenges that build resilience. However, you also acknowledge that society is now reactive rather than proactive, struggling to implement reforms after the digital world has already reshaped childhood.
Given the reality that Gen Z is the first digitally native generation and that screen dependence has extended beyond youth to adults, how can we practically balance necessary digital engagement with meaningful real-world experiences? Can we realistically reverse course on screen dependence, or should we focus on integrating healthier tech habits instead? What would that balance look like in practice, both for youth and for adults?
Hey Chad, I did tackle a lot of this on Elysse and Julie’s reply; however, I will say it is difficult, if not impossible, to reverse screen dependence because we will forever be in this space until the next technological upgrade. I do think the government can help by promoting healthy screen time. We are promoting an individualistic society, so things that promote community should be prioritized. This is a crazy idea, but what if youth and adults worked together to create a digital detox with helpful and healthy alternatives. This could win.
Thank you, Daren, for sharing and re-emphasizing the side effects of digital medias. Most of the time, I ignored it as an issue until I am made aware of these side effects which you mentioned, ‘ social depravation, sleep deprivation, attention fragmentation, and addiction.’ I do agree that have our kids having more time away from the digital device is one approach. Thanks again, Daren
Thanks Noel! There is serious work to do in this area