The Amazing Generation: Your Guide to Fun and Freedom in a Screen-Filled World

by Jonathan Haidt, Catherine Price

Inspired by The Anxious Generation, this new book for kids and tweens is a comprehensive guide for living a happy and exciting life that isn’t hijacked by a smartphone.

Whether or not kids already have smartphones or social media accounts, this guide is packed with surprising facts, a graphic novel, interactive challenges, secrets that tech leaders don’t want kids to know, and real-life anecdotes from young adults who regret getting smartphones at a young age and want to help the next generation avoid making the same mistakes.

But this isn’t just a book about what not to do. It’s a bold, optimistic, and practical guide to growing into your most authentic, confident, and adventurous self. Readers won’t just discover how to avoid becoming the next Anxious Generation. They’ll learn how to become amazing.

Genres: Nonfiction, Parenting, Childrens, Middle Grade, Graphic Novels, Self Help, Family

226 pages, Paperback

Published December 30, 2025

About the author

Jonathan Haidt is the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He obtained his PhD in social psychology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992 and taught at the University of Virginia for sixteen years. His research focuses on moral and political psychology, as described in his book The Righteous Mind. His latest book, The Anxious Generation, is a direct continuation of the themes explored in The Coddling of the American Mind (written with Greg Lukianoff). He writes the After Babel Substack.

Reviews

[Scott Rhee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jonathon Haidt, in collaboration with Catherine Price, has taken his 2024 book "The Anxious Generation" and distilled the vast amount of scientific evidence in it that shows that smartphoness and social media have created generations of anxious, depressed, and apathetic children to create a kid's version that manages to be entertaining and informative, without being too much of a downer for its target audience: tweens and early teens.

"The Amazing Generation" is for kids who don't yet have smartphones and kids who already have smartphones but are now dealing with some of the problems that accompany it. Haidt/Price reveal some of the dirty little secrets of Big Tech (for example, the fact that they have known, for years, about the deleterious effects on the psyche of young kids but have done little to nothing about it) and the more shocking statistics of smartphone use among the tween-age set. (Did you know the average tween receives roughly 240 notifications on their smartphone? I've never counted mine, but I can tell you it's not even close to that number.)

Of course, parents who haven't read "The Anxious Generation" will also find a lot of the same valuable information in a more pared-down version. For example, Haidt/Price still recommends not buying a smartphone for your kid until they enter high school and not letting them sign up for a social media site like Facebook until they are at least 16. Granted, every kid is different, of course, and some kids can handle smartphones better than others.

Now, if you can drag your kid away from their screens for a short time to read this book, it might be eye-opening for them.

[Gary Anderson]

Teenagers and preteens are fun to work with because they are idealistic, creative, and usually at least a little rebellious. While these traits can be both challenging and rewarding for their parents and teachers, the same characteristics help them navigate the world and figure out their places in it. Unfortunately, smartphones and social media platforms work against the development of those appealing traits. All of this was explained for grownups in Jonathan Haidt’s best-selling The Anxious Generation.

The Amazing Generation is a new adaptation of The Anxious Generation for middle-grade readers co-written by Haidt and Catherine Price with abundant illustrations by Cynthia Yuan Cheng. The result is, as the subtitle suggests, “Your Guide to Fun and Freedom in a Screen-Filled World” and an invitation to ditch smartphones in favor of real-world experiences with authentic friends.

Haidt and Price know that their audience likes to think of themselves as rebels, so they frame The Amazing Generation as a how-to guide for rebelling against the social media companies that profit from keeping kids glued to their screens. The designers of TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and other platforms are portrayed as tech wizards preying on weak-minded young conformists. Examples of “secret documents” are provided showing how tech companies knowingly manipulate adolescents to form unhealthy habits for the sake of generating corporate profits.

The logic is convincing but maybe even more persuasive is how Haidt and Price capture the emotions involved when smartphones rewire minds still in developmental stages. They discuss how scrolling seems fun for the first few minutes but eventually leaves users feeling disappointed in not just the content but in themselves for spending so much time on it.

The format of The Amazing Generation includes lively text with a lot of graphics, a running comic about how a group of friends use social media differently throughout a school year, and cartoon balloon quotes from former social media users who explain how and why they gave up their smartphones.

The last section of The Amazing Generation helps readers figure out what to do instead of locking on to social media. Haidt and Price explain the concept of “fun” and how to pursue it in real-world ways. (Isn’t it sad that authentic fun needs to be explained?)

The Amazing Generation is a good book to make available to young readers. Be careful about forcing it on them though. That would risk provoking exactly the kind of rebellion the book hopes to inspire—only in the wrong direction.

This review is also posted on my What's Not Wrong? blog in slightly different form and with a link to a free Educator's Guide pdf.

[Margeaux Ebersohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. Highly recommend reading this in conjunction with a child of the target audience. George is 10.5 and I felt like he was an ideal age to read it (before having a phone/social media) We had some amazing discussions about the benefits and negatives of screens, technology, and social media. I truly think he understood that technology is just trying to get you addicted and fighting back is a cool thing to do. There were definitely some stats that had a big impact on him. I took a .5 off just because I thought there were a bit too many quotes but other than that, I thought it got the point across in a really good, relevant, and appropriate manner.

[Jennifer Saunders · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the “anxious generation “and I am so happy that the authors published this book.
I will give this book to my grandkids and hope they are inspired So many important ways and means of managing screen time and avoiding addictive habits with phones and screens in an easy to read format.

[Lgordo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this, while my 7yo tried to steal it and read it too. The fact that my 7yo became engrossed in it suggests the colorful, ironically short-form, format did it's job of being compelling and accessible.

The whole "rebels vs wizards" thing didn't hurt either. who wouldn't want to be the good guys in a real life struggle between good and evil? We will see how my more skeptical 9yo takes it.

This book is fairly didactic, getting into the science of digital addiction. I think it struck a decent balance of providing details without dullness. It seemed aimed at teens but I feel like preteens is actually the right age for it.

I did feel like the examples of what to do irl instead of scrolling leaned a bit too heavily on guitar and skateboard. I dunno what the kids are doing these days, but I know most of them are not camping in the backyard. I don't expect a book to nail the trending hobbies. I just thought there ought to be more cultural variety.

It also felt like the book leaned heavily against social media, while gaming came in for "also that" afterthought criticism.

Otherwise, it seems really well done. I hope my kids come back to it when they're older and it's more relevant. I'll keep it shelved next to The Seven Habits.

[Acnegoddess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this in at work and picked it up on a lark; I actually found it very informative and sort of necessary for me right now. Great book to get teens/tweens (or even adults) to reflect on the causes and effects of too much screen time without being too preachy.

[Ashley Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely 100000% recommend this for parents and kids. We read and listened to this with our 5 kids and they were shocked at what they learned and SO determined to be “rebels.” Absolutely buying this for our home library. So grateful for Haidt and Price and what they are doing for families and kids! (Note: Haidt is the same author that wrote The Anxious Generation which is another absolute 5 star read.)

[Nancy B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have fully drunk the Anxious Generation Kool-Aid so I was excited to discover that Haidt would be partnering with Catherine Price (How to Break Up with Your Phone) on a graphic novel directed at middle grade readers. I thought these co-authors did a great job in distilling the concepts of TAG into a book appropriate for tweens and young teens. It addresses both kids who haven’t yet gotten phones as well as kids who have already been given phones but who want to re-claim control of their tech use.

It’s not 5 ⭐️ for me because the graphic design was not to my taste. It was VERY busy, a little confusing, and frankly, over-stimulating. I get I’m not the target audience but I’ve seen exceptional graphic design in middle grade books, and this ain’t it.

Also, and this is weird, but they introduce six different characters at the beginning of the book. One is named Alex, but throughout the book he is also referred to as Tyler. Appears perhaps to be a major editing flub?

[Katie Krawzak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this to preview for my daughter. A great adaptation of Haidt’s The Anxious Generation. The book does a nice job of weaving two stories (a graphic novel alongside the nonfiction narrative) throughout the book. He uses kid friendly explanations but minces no words/opinions about the dangers of phone/social media use. It is honest and eye opening. I’m hopeful my daughter will enjoy, too!

[Adam Callis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this one with my 3 oldest kids. It sparked many great conversations and reflections. It's not a cure by any means--we're in a screen-obsessed world, and we all feed it. But the book is helpful in many of the same way that The Anxious Generation was helpful, just on a level geared toward younger readers. And it had almost none of the evolutionary biology stuff that The Anxious Generation had. The focus stays tight on the impact of screens on mental health and on disrupting real-life behavior and time. It also delves into the addictive nature of apps and social media that creates an unfair scenario for kids still developing self-control and sense of self.

I think the book is technically geared toward preteens and teenagers. I think preteen or a bit younger would be the money spot. Our 7 year old grasped most of the points, and they all enjoyed the comic strips (and wished there were more of them). If you liked The Anxious Generation, I'd recommend reading through this one with your kids.

[Tamara York · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read aloud with my 14 year old daughter. I bought this after reading The Anxious Generation so that my kids could benefit from some of the wisdom from the book without the doom and gloom and adult nonfiction format. This was a little young for my daughter (9-12 is probably the target audience), but she did get a lot out of it. I changed the words "tech wizards" to "tech companies" and "rebels" to "smart people" to make the content less cheesy for her. And those words are used A LOT! But the book is well laid out and very visually interesting (colorful with graphic novel segments at the ends of chapters). Highly recommend.
I would love to see a young adult edition of this series that would target 13-18 year olds.

[Willa Parton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Amazing Generation by Jonathan Haidt and Catherine Price is a fun and informative guide to have your own fun without being held down by cell phones. It teaches responsibility, independence, and how to control your screen time, what you do on your phone, and what you download. Out of five stars, I would rate this a four. One reason I liked this book was because of the way it was set up with information in interesting designs and the occasional comic strip. I very much enjoyed reading it.

[Kristen Muldoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this preteen edition. The format is accessible and visually interesting with color, side bars, and graphic novel snippets throughout. I thought the tone was perfect for the intended audience too -- explanatory and conversational but not preachy or parental. I'm looking forward to having my kids read it so we can discuss some of the main concepts.

[Bettina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for everyone between the ages of 8 and 80! The authors unpack the dangers of social media and encourage kids/teens/young adults to make wise choices that impact who they want to become.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this! It includes easily digestible facts and practical ideas for kids (and adults!) that want to engage with the ideas presented in The Anxious Generation in a fun and creative format.

[Lindsay Wilcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was written for kids/teens, but I read it to my kids and we had great conversations about tech, smartphones and social media. Every parent and kid should read this.

[Anna Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

i cannot wait for owen to read this one day. made me think about my scrolling habits also. i’ll probably read the anxious generation now, but this was probably a good starting point for my postpartum brain 🤪

[Kate Zimmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource for kids ages 9-12! Jesse read it in a few days!

[Courtney A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for teens/preteens (I would say 12-15 year olds). My 9th grader enjoyed it. It will be a “must read” book for all of mine before they get a phone.

[Adam Bloch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for kids about how the internet is unsafe--but only a tiny focus on how "unsafe" is associated with "internet safety" and a much stronger, huge focus on how "unsafe" means "the internet wants to treat you like a product."

[Derek Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect book for any 9-15 year old processing through technology use

[Ellery Morris-Burgard · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was very informative but it also was concise. It was definitely directed to one age group and kept trying to make it a storybook. Like the creators of smartphones were the evil wizards and the people who don’t use social media are rebels which was annoying for me because I was just reading the book to get the information and because my mom made me. It had good facts that made me think about my screen usage and the graphics novel part was a nice break from the “evil wizards” and rebels.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for children around the ages of 8-11, I would say. I picked up a copy for my son for when he's older (he's about to turn 4), because this is a whole different world to the one us Millennials grew up in

[Becky B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haidt and Price take teens behind the curtain of what phone/tech/game/social media/app companies really are after and how they lure in the unsuspecting. They refer to these people as tech wizards in this book and show readers how these tech wizards use their users to get more money, and how these things can be harmful and addicting. Through personal stories and quotes from real teens and young people, engaging informational bits, and graphic novel sections showing teens succumbing to social media and those who have decided to rebel and unplug, the authors encourage readers to seek real personal connection with others, show how phone addiction and social media use can be harmful, encourage readers to use the months and years of their life the average teen wastes on social media to pick up new hobbies, and dare to be a rebel and use technology as a tool rather than let it use you.

This was a phenomenal adaption of The Anxious Generation for tweens/teens. It was written in a very engaging style and really does an excellent job of balancing the “don’t dos” with “look at all you could do”. It provides ideas for how to use a smartphone responsibly, how to step away if that is what is best for you, and showing it is possible to not do what everyone else seems to be doing. It reveals a lot of things tech companies don’t want users to know or think about, and really shows how they view you as a commodity and not someone they are concerned for. It also provides a vision for what is possible, and makes it feel achievable. The stat that the average teen in the US spends 2.5 months-worth of time on social media each year was eye-opening, and really should be a wake up call. Overall, it feels very hopeful and helpful, and I really hope tweens and teens will read this, put the ideas into action, and step into a more healthy relationship with technology and others. I’m handing this to our Secondary principals right after I finish this review. They’ve already read The Anxious Generation but I’m wanting to brainstorm with them how we can get this book into as many of our students’ hands as possible. It’s a valuable and important read.

Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: None
Ethnic diversity: The characters in the graphic novel sections are depicted in a variety of skin tones.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified.
Other: Talks about anxiety and depression a little bit. It talks about signs of addiction and withdrawal a little bit. It talks about the dangers of communicating with strangers, sharing pictures, etc. without going into any details about where that can lead; it just communicates it can be creepy and dangerous and people can use it for bullying and other unkind things and leaves it appropriately vague for the audience.

[Mandy Witteveen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5⭐️ In mijn mening moet dit boek in alle bibliotheken van de middelbare scholen staan.

De mobiele telefoon is echt een groot onderwerp tegenwoordig. Het is een hulpmiddel, maar wat als de telefoon jou de baas wordt!

Dit boek legt op een laagdrempelige manier uit hoe tech bedrijven ervoor zorgen dat je echt verslaafd raakt aan je telefoon. Ik had er nooit op die manier naar gekeken, maar het heeft mijn ogen echt geopend.

Het boek geeft je ook handvaten om er wat mee te doen. Deze handvaten zijn haalbaar en goed uitgelegd. Je kan er zo mee beginnen. Ik ben er stiekem ook al mee begonnen, want het is echt een probleem binnen de maatschappij!

Het boek is heel speels vormgegeven. Je hebt informatieve tekst dat wordt aangevuld met post its. Op deze post its staan meningen van mede jongeren, maar ook dingen die je kunt uitproberen om een leven zonder telefoon zelf te ervaren.

Ook volg je tussendoor een graphic novel. Hierin wordt het verschil tussen de twee levensstijlen enorm goed uitgelegd. Een heel leuk idee, want op deze manier blijft je aandacht goed bij het boek.

Ik hoop dat dit boek veel rebellen inspireert, zodat we als maatschappij minder met een schermpje bezig zijn en meer met ons leven.

[Brittany Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My child is finishing his last year of elementary school and I know he's going to have a lot of peers in middle school with much more access to social media and short form video content than he will be allowed. I bought this book to help my child understand WHY our family has such strict rules around technology; I wanted to be proactive about these discussions instead of reactive.

I read this book before giving it to my child and I think it really hit the nail on the head. The graphic novel sections and full-color layout prevent the book from being a slog, and the TONS of quotes from Gen Z and Gen Alpha people prevent it from feeling like an old person talking down at a young person.

I love that it helps kids understand the attention economy and the way apps specifically aim to rewrite your habits. Having this information as a modern consumer is empowering!

I haven't read Jonathan Haidt's book for adults ("The Anxious Generation"), but I honestly think THIS book contains a lot more about Big Tech, social media, and addictive game design than many adults know. I would not hesitate to recommend it to an adult who hasn't read about these topics before.

[Charcoziness · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

"𝘎𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘬 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘶𝘭𝘱𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘭, 𝘮𝘢𝘢𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘢𝘵 𝘫𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘦." 📵

The Amazing Generation is verpakt in een vrolijk en kleurrijk jasje, maar bevat een krachtige en serieuze boodschap: "Vul je leven met echte vrijheid, vriendschap en plezier." Jongeren tegenwoordig brengen vele uren per dag op hun smartphone door, waardoor ze zich vaak eenzaam voelen en een grotere kans hebben op angstklachten en depressie. De tijd die ze normaal zouden besteden aan plezier maken met hun vrienden, brengen ze al scrollend door. Dit heeft impact op hun nog ontwikkelende brein en ze lopen waardevolle herinneringen voor later mis. Shocking toch!?

Het boek richt zich op kinderen vanaf 9 jaar, vaak de leeftijd waarop ze hun eerste smartphone krijgen (fun fact: 19 jaar geleden kreeg ik, toen ik 9 werd, mijn eerste telefoon; een roze klaptelefoontje van Motorola waarmee je alleen kon bellen en sms'en 😆). En ook al behoor ik niet tot deze doelgroep, was dit boek ook voor mij heel leerzaam en een echte eyeopener. Wat mij betreft moet eigenlijk iedereen die een smartphone heeft en social media gebruikt dit boek lezen!!

Het boek bestaat uit een graphic novel en een informatief gedeelte. De graphic novel laat op speelse wijze het verschil zien tussen jongeren die zich wel en niet door een smartphone laten leiden. Het informatieve gedeelte wordt op een aantrekkelijke wijze gepresenteerd: denk aan post-its, grafieken, diagrammen en leuke plaatjes. Daarnaast komen er ook nog eens echte jongeren aan het woord, ‘de rebellen’, die er bewust voor hebben gekozen om meer tijd in het echte leven door te brengen of zelfs helemaal geen smartphone of social media meer te gebruiken.

Ik vond de informatie in dit boek heel confronterend: over hoe de techbedrijven je brein hacken en herprogrammeren en deze apps zo verslavend mogelijk maken. Gelukkig bevat dit boek ook praktische handvatten die meteen toepasbaar zijn. Het boek heeft voor mij in ieder geval diepe conversaties met mijn naasten op gang gebracht en ik probeer zelf ook mijn schermtijd te minderen (al is dat nog best een uitdaging).

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book! Haidt's "The Anxious Generation" remains one of my favorite books of all time. I think we as humans should all have a stake in the conversation surrounding screens and childhood and the huge societal shift we're in. This book, the companion to "TAG", is geared for upper elementary to middle schoolers and helps highlight how much power they actually have over their screens. There was a great blend of graphic novel and presentation of the text on the page and questions throughout. This is an ARC so it wasn't in color, but I imagine the color just adds to it as well. Helping kids realize they don't have to have something like a phone or do something with a phone just "because everyone else does" - that they can take control of how they spend their time back? Worth it every single time! I know I'll be recommending this book to many of my students and their families.

[Nicky Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deze graphic novel is echt heel leerzaam. Het boek is bedoeld voor een jongere doelgroep, maar ook ik vond het erg leuk en interessant om te lezen. Op een speelse en toegankelijke manier laat het zien wat technologie en smartphones met je doen. Juist daardoor worden jongeren zich bewust van hun eigen gedrag. Het verwerken van dit onderwerp in een graphic novel vind ik echt een sterke en slimme keuze om deze doelgroep te bereiken. ✨

Zeker een aanrader om te lezen, of je nu tot de jongere doelgroep behoort of juist ouder bent. Ook heel geschikt om in de klas te bespreken of te laten lezen, maar net zo goed fijn voor thuis. Kortom: leerzaam voor iedereen!🥰

Dankjewel uitgeverij Ten Have voor dit recensie-exemplaar!

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked it up and blew through it in a couple sittings and thankfully got my son interested in it as well so now it's his turn. I'm a fan of Haidt's Coddling of the American Mind and I have his Anxious Generation sitting on the shelf just waiting for me though I suspect I just got a distilled version of everything in that book by reading this one. While I think the topic is quite a bit more nuanced than they want to present it this is probably one of the most highly relevant books of the modern world for every parent and kid. Truth be told, it's highly relevant for everyone in the modern world.