Dinner and discussion: "The Anxious Generation"

"The Anxious Generation"

This fortnights discussion is result of an interview I heard with well regarded thought leader Jonathan Haight around his book "The Anxious Generation" how due partly to the advent of smart phones and social media our children and thus our very culture has been dramatically altered in profound ways, leading to exacerbated levels of mental health issue's such as anxiety and depression especially in our youth.

"The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness
isa 2024 book by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt that explores the sharp rise in adolescent mental health issues. Haidt argues that two concurrent shifts—the decline of unsupervised, play-based childhood and the rapid rise of a phone-based, digital childhood—have fundamentally rewired the adolescent brain and social life."

Wikipedia

In this discussion with will be exploring,

• As a society have we due to our affluence undermined the necessary developmental journey we need as human beings to reach out potential as stable adults
• What the effects short term and potentially long term of technology, social media and now very recently the surge in Artificial Intelligence on out psyche and mental health
• What effects will it have on our values as a society, on how we will treat our elders, and our children's children.
• What can be done potentially to mitigate some of the more dangerous hazards

These are just a few of the issue's on the table, the effect of this rapid transformation of technology on us as a race is profound and far reaching, and should be considered carefully.

I look forward to seeing you and your curious mind on the 4th of March 2026 at 6pm at the Goodwood Hotel (The Goody) for what is usually a rich an robust deep dive into things philisophical.

Steven Archer
0437 522 792