# The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/anxious-generation/ 21 people recommended The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt in Hacker News comments, 1 had mixed feelings and 11 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 9 of 12 months, in 18 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule. **Verdict:** Recommended for its scientific case that social media harms children, especially under 16; critics say its evidence is weak and its charts don't support its conclusions. Summary written by Claude from 35 comments. It was written before the November 2026 recount, and 31 of those comments still count. ## Why people recommend it - Insightful, clearly argued and well-written (4 comments in the sample): "The Anxious Generation”- Jonathan Haidt put it across. Rey well." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47998005)) "summarized well in the book “The Anxious Generation" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46690593)) "It’s absolutely insightful for adults as well." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45951152)) - Explains harm to young children (3 comments in the sample): "a book where the author explains with scientific fundaments why lower age kids are more damaged from social media exposure" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48940378)) "As much as it is damaging to adults, it's much more so to children in early development all the way through puberty." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46964771)) "extensively explains the damage caused by social media before age 16" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48353811)) - Useful guidance for parents (3 comments in the sample): "Reading "Anxious Generation" is a must for all parents in this day and age." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46213228)) "goes into a lot of detail on this exact point about parental responsibility" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46787898)) "The book "The Anxious Generation" covers this in detail." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46312527)) - Well-researched with grounded data (2 comments in the sample): "there is no good reason to doubt Haidt's research" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46894252)) "lots of helpful grounded findings and data" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49468562)) ## What people warn about - Weak evidence for mental health claims (3 comments in the sample): "Smartphones don't really have a discernible impact on mental health at a population level." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47799334)) "Haidt never manages to establish a link between social media and depression or anxiety" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46239659)) "haidt's own charts don't support his conclusions in that book" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47386648)) - Poorly researched, questionable studies (3 comments in the sample): "a very well-written house of cards built on questionable studies" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46238409)) "Total garbage book, just no real basis in truth" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49969484)) "a poorly researched pile of dreck" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46891557)) - Criticized by experts and academics (2 comments in the sample): "Jonathan Haidt's book isn't taken seriously in academia." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48727875)) "has been widely criticized by experts" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48561158)) - Oversimplified, repeats old tradition (2 comments in the sample): "seems like just the latest entry in a tradition stretching thousands of years" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46313237)) "assures parents that there's just one easy trick to saving your children" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46213502)) ## Other nonfiction books people recommend - [The Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stoll](https://hackerapproved.com/p/cuckoo-s-egg/): 38 recommend, 1 mixed, 0 criticize - [Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman](https://hackerapproved.com/p/amusing-ourselves-to-death/): 30 recommend, 5 mixed, 0 criticize - [Enshittification by Cory Doctorow](https://hackerapproved.com/p/enshittification/): 18 recommend, 1 mixed, 1 criticize - [Masters of Doom by David Kushner](https://hackerapproved.com/p/masters-of-doom/): 16 recommend, 1 mixed, 0 criticize ## The badge A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged. ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt", https://hackerapproved.com/p/anxious-generation/ (21 recommend, 1 mixed, 11 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026). Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.