SPARC Book Club - "The Anxious Generation"
Dr. Seuss famously wrote "the more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” We invite our members to "SPARC" new ideas and knowledge through our Book Club, an opportunity to explore a variety of topics to help us individually and collectively grow in our work as leaders, visionaries and entrepreneurs. Our Book Club discussions are facilitated by Laura Kelly, CEO and Founder of DEAN Adventure Camps and Karen McCann McClelland, Director of Auxiliary Programs at Sidwell Friends School.
SPARC Book Club: The Anxious Generation - How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt
After more than a decade of stability, the mental health of children and adolescents took a dramatic downturn in the early 2010s. Rates of anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicide rose sharply across many countries. In The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt explores why - and what we can do about it.
This timely and thought-provoking book examines how childhood has fundamentally changed over the past several decades. Haidt contrasts the “play-based childhood,” rich in independence, risk-taking, and real-world social interaction, with today’s “phone-based childhood,” shaped by smartphones, social media, constant supervision, and diminished free play. He connects this shift to profound impacts on children’s social, emotional, and neurological development—particularly in areas like sleep, attention, resilience, belonging, and identity.
For those of us working in schools, summer programs, and auxiliary spaces, this book challenges us to rethink how our environments either contribute to - or help counteract - the forces affecting young people today.
Key Concepts:
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The Great Rewiring of Childhood: How the rapid move from play-based to phone-based childhood has disrupted healthy development.
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Why Play Matters: Independent play and exploration are essential for building confidence, competence, and resilience.
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Gendered Impacts: Why social media tends to harm girls more deeply, while boys are increasingly withdrawing into virtual worlds.
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Collective Action Problems: Why individual families struggle to push back - and why schools and institutions matter.
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A Call to Action: Four practical, hopeful rules and concrete steps for parents, educators, schools, and communities to help restore a more humane childhood.
Join us for a SPARC Book Club conversation as we reflect on how these ideas show up in our programs, policies, and daily practices - from summer camps and enrichment programs to extended day, student experiences, and community norms. We’ll share key takeaways, standout quotes, and practical ways schools and auxiliary programs can intentionally support healthy development, connection, and well-being. Whether you’re already wrestling with questions about screens, independence, risk, and mental health - or just beginning to explore these issues - this discussion will offer clarity, shared language, and actionable insights.
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