CCA Bulletin 9.15.24

The smartphone and social media have become an integral part of how people interact with one another. On the surface, they are amazing tools, and there is no doubt that the internet has made communications easier and instantaneous. There is a downside to this that no one saw coming, and that is the increase in mental health issues, particularly among the children that are part of Gen Z and beyond.

I read a book over the summer and into the beginning of the school year that I highly recommend for any parent raising children today. Social Psychologist Jonathan Haidt’s book, The Anxious Generation, is an insightful investigation into the reasons why young people today live with more anxiety than ever before.

Dr. Haidt lays out the facts about the epidemic of teen mental illness that hit many countries across the world at the same time. He investigates the nature of childhood, including why children need play and independent exploration to mature into competent, thriving adults. Dr. Haidt shows how the play-based childhood began to decline in the 1980s, and how it was finally wiped out by the arrival of the phone-based childhood in the early 2010s.

This great rewiring of childhood has interfered with children’s social and neurological development, creating issues such as sleep deprivation, attention fragmentation, tech addiction, loneliness, social comparison, and perfectionism. He explains why social media damages girls more than boys and why boys have been withdrawing from the real world into the virtual world, with disastrous consequences for themselves, their families, and society.

I am not a social psychologist, but I have witnessed first-hand the changes in how students learn. I see much shorter attention spans, many more social conflicts, less self-esteem, and a general inability to cope among young people. Teachers have a much more difficult time holding attention in the classroom, because nothing compares to the instant adrenaline and dopamine release of video gaming and tech-based applications. When children game online, they come to think of strangers as friends. This opens up a dangerous world of altered reality that threatens safety and wellbeing.

Dr. Haidt’s book is relevant and exciting because he not only outlines our dilemma, but he gives tangible recommendations for how we get our children back to a play-based childhood and transition them from children to responsible adults.

At CCA, we are committed to partnering with you in the wellbeing of your children. Our Bible-based truths don’t change, and we take the responsibility of educating our students seriously. I will be writing about the steps we are taking this year to encourage and grow our children in future bulletins.

In the meantime,  you know where to find me. Don’t hesitate to reach out!

In Christ,

253-389-0349

sherrie.gibelyou@ccatacoma.org