Jean Twenge provides the data to understand what we all see happening around us: children growing up anxious, distracted and needing more support than ever before. This book is a must-read for parents and educators -- and maybe even some teenagers.

Our children are growing up in a difficult time period. Everything is so different from when I was in my teens! They are growing up with technology I would never have even dreamed of. This technology has to have had an impact on their childhood and the way they connect with family, friends and others.

This book examines just how drastically this generation has changed (and looks at statistics from a broad range of cultures, ages and numbers). It looks at several areas where this generation has differed from their predecessors, such as religion, politics, family, work, sex and attitudes. It is amazing to see how the iGen generation has shifted with their thinking and mind-set.

As a parent with children growing up in this iGen generation, I think this book is a must read. It points out so many important facts that really make you think about your own parenting. Do I focus too much on safety at the risk of not allowing my child to learn and grow? Am I preventing independence and necessary life skills by doing things for them? Is my child spending so much time socializing online that they are lacking the necessary communication and verbal skills required for later on in life? What are the implications of all of this?

This book was a definite eye opener for me as parent. I can see my children in this book and it really made me focus on what I can do now as a parent to help my child prepare for their future. There are so many skills that I learned in my teen years that are not being passed down to my children. I loved that this book offered hope and suggestions on how to change behaviour now before children spiral out of control. The most shocking (although we see it in the news all the time) is the mental health aspect. This culture is hurting them with depression, anxiety and loneliness and this book tackles the whys of this.

iGen is well written and expressed in a manner that parents can understand and apply in their own homes. It is a definite must read parenting book especially for parents raising young children, teens or even planning families.

iGEN by Jean M. Twenge:
"Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?" is the rather provocative title of a very thoughtful and fascinating piece (see especially the charts) which is appearing in September's The Atlantic. Author Jean Twenge is a Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University and she discusses the "abrupt shifts in teen behaviors and emotional states" which she began to notice around 2012 (the time when American smartphone ownership surpassed 50%). Specifically, she comments on screen time, driving habits, alcohol use and the rise in rates for depression and other mental health issues.

Recently interviewed on pbs' NewsHour (video embedded in online post and provided below), Twenge develops her arguments further in a recently released book, iGen, which we will have available at the New Trier Library when school resumes in September. Twenge's subtitle is "Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy - and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood - and What That Means for the Rest of Us." Twenge uses data from the YRBSS (Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System which our students complete) and other longitudinal national surveys in order to explore and document ten important trends such as internet use, individualism, and income inequality that impact iGen'ers. She provides multiple charts to illustrate her observations about differences between generations and augments the survey data with quotes and anecdotes from personal interviews. This carefully researched text is full of information to digest and debate. I have been recommending it widely and look forward to more discussion.

I am also curious to look at a response to Twenge's article and another forthcoming book titled SCREEN SCHOOLED by Joe Clement and Matt Miles.

Links:
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-generation/534198/
https://www.youtube.com/embed/MA8q88nEEwM?rel=0?ecver=1
https://daily.jstor.org/yes-smartphones-are-destroying-a-generation-but-not-of-kids/

Igen Is Crying Out For Help, And We Need To Listen

In IGEN, Professor Jean M. Twenge summarizes the research on the next generation. There are lots of alarming findings. First off, the iGen teens do many things less often this includes going out with friends, working, reading—even going to parties.

Comparison to prior generations is alarming. For example, “the number of 8th graders who work for pay has been cut in half.” It’s not just a matter of teens making a simple substitution of one media for another—there’s a lot more to it. The doctor explains, “The entire developmental trajectory, from childhood to adolescence to adulthood, has slowed.”

Teens are working less, spending less time on homework, going out less, and drinking less--so what are they doing? The answer is not hard to find—it’s screen time: “Teens are hanging out with their friends less, but they are not replacing that time with homework, extracurricular, paid work, or housework; they are replacing it with screen time.”

The actual time spent on smartphones is startling: “iGen high school seniors spent an average of 2 ¼ hours a day texting on their cell phones, about 2 hours a day on the Internet, 1 ½ hours a day on electronic gaming, and about a half hour on video chat in the most recent survey. That totals to six hours a day with new media.”

This diversion of time has come with a steep price. For example, SAT scores are sliding, and compare poorly to their millennial predecessors: “SAT scores have slid since the mid-2000s, especially in writing (a 13-point decline since 2006) and critical reading.”

The last chapter has some practical suggestions. Overall, the key to phones is moderation— for both teens and adults. Even experts in technology are “cautious about their kids using it too much.” Some ideas:

* Find a place of moderation for how much that phone is in our hands,
* Don’t sleep within ten feet of your phone. (The author notes that many teens sleep next to their phone, and are interrupted by texts.)
* Put down the smartphone when studying or working.

The author makes one point in particular that I thought was especially astute: People cannot simultaneously do serious mental work and use a smartphone. Rather, one must concentrate on one thing at a time: “The human brain cannot multitask: we can focus our attention on only one cognitive task at a time.” The iGen generation has difficulty concentrating for more than a very short time.

With all the gloomy statistics, the author nevertheless offers some hope—but it will require a marked change in behavior: “If they can shake themselves free of the constant clutch of their phones and shrug off the heavy cloak of their fear, they can still fly. And the rest of us will be there, cheering them on.”

So all in all, I found iGen to be a well-researched, well written book. Moreover, it is an important book. The author writes clearly, and the book is easy to read. I confess I was ignorant of much of this information. I am especially concerned about the mental health problems documented.

Perhaps the scariest part of the entire book concerns mental health: “iGen is on the verge of the most severe mental health crisis for young people in decades.” The professor cites numerous studies linking depression with extended use of social media.


Advance Review Copy courtesy of the publisher.