Launch of the book recommended by Bill Gates to read in 2024

According to many statistics, after more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of teenagers has plummeted in the early 2010s. Accordingly, the rate of depression and anxiety has increased dramatically, even doubling compared to recent times. Why is that? This will be answered in the book Generation Anxiety , which billionaire Bill Gates has chosen as one of his favorite works.

In this book, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues that the decline of free play activities in childhood and the increase in smartphone use among adolescents are two major causes of increasing psychological stress among young people, especially Generation Z.

The Anxious Generation launches Vietnamese version The Anxious Generation (published by 1980Books and Industry and Trade Publishing House, translated by Mokona)

According to Haidt, as young people gradually abandon push-button phones in favor of smartphones with social networking apps, time online has increased dramatically while conversely time communicating directly with friends and family has decreased significantly, thereby reducing mental health.

Based on psychological and biological research, Generation Anxiety asserts that there are “two big mistakes we have made: Overprotecting children in the real world (where they need to learn from lots of direct experiences) and underprotecting them in the virtual world (where they are especially vulnerable during puberty).

At the same time, the author also proposed four important reforms, which are the basis for creating a healthier childhood in the age of technology. These are: no smartphones before grade 9 (around 14 years old), no social media before age 16, no phones in schools, direct interaction and unsupervised play to develop social skills naturally.

The book is on billionaire Bill Gates' wish list for 2024 (2nd from top)

Since its release, the book has created a huge buzz and has been highly appreciated. Bill Gates said that this is a book that any child-rearing person (including parents and educators ) should read because he is worried that children's critical thinking and concentration skills can be affected by technology.

Gates shared: "Haidt explains the change in the way children today experience childhood, from running around playing to using only phones, affecting their ability to develop and process emotions. I appreciate that the author not only raises the problem but also presents thoughtful solutions."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ra-mat-cuon-sach-duoc-bill-gates-khuyen-doc-trong-nam-2024-185250107101657058.htm