The recent surge in Gen Z focused analysis, data, and concern brings a number if important issues to light. So far in 2024, I’ve read “The Anxious Generation” and “Bad Therapy” which address some of the issues in-depth. My wife and I have also attended two parenting conferences, which focused on parenting, smartphones, and mental health. The experts are omitting subjects – why? Here, I’ll pick on Jonathan Haidt, but my criticism is not exclusive to him.
“The Anxious Generation”
Jonathan Haidt’s book “The Anxious Generation” is everywhere and nails some very important points about Gen Z. Two conclusions stand out: a) smartphones are bad for people, especially teens, and b) parents are overprotecting their kids which is drives them to seek independence on their phones, but also stripes them of the ability navigate life because they are so accustomed to well-meaning moms fixing their problems. There is much more to the book so see my full review for more, but I have questions about the book’s conclusions.
Interestingly, all the Gen Zers I know are hard workers, smart, and pretty well balanced. Yet the statistics show they have more mental health problems, by large margins, than any other generation.
So, what gives?
Three Big Omissions About Gen Z
There are 3 big areas Haidt totally ignores that I think any meaningful conversation needs to address:
Firstly, the breakdown of the family is totally ignored by Haidt. Kids from two parent households, on average, outperform kids from single parent homes – obviously not in every instance, but on average. Regarding smartphones, it is impossible for a single mom to police smartphones the way two parents can.
Moreover, Divorce makes it impossible to impose guidelines. One or both parents either throw money at kids or they try to be the cool parent by letting them do whatever they want. One or both want to be better liked, so they let the kids be in charge. Single mom homes are tough, especially on boys. 93% of inmates are men and 90% grew up in single parent homes. The most obvious and free solution to most of societies biggest problems is creating two parent homes.
Secondly, sports and work seem to be great antigens against social media. They give kids focus, teach valuable life skills like hard work and discipline, and make children and teens learn to get along with others. The law clerks in my office, our babysitters, the people who help me with the Conservative Book Society, and even the guys who moved furniture for me last week are really helpful and do not reflect what Haidt discusses in his book. What they have in common is they were into sports and they want to work.
Lastly, Haidt fails to discuss what caused the shift from free range to helicopter parenting. My own thought is that an unguided childhood causes major long-term issues, which parents have tried correcting but have gone too far. Where he stops short is by not offering a vision of what parenting looks like from a more balanced perspective. Letting teens raise each other doesn’t work and neither does mommy hovering over teens. How do we find a balance between the two?
So, what is it that all the Gen Zers I know seem great? The answer is that they all have two involved parents, they all played sports and work, and they clearly had parents who taught them how to fail, how to work hard, and other valuable skills.
Be sure to watch our full review of the book on YouTube or read it here.
