Applying The Anxious Generation Framework

Jonathan Haidt’s book, The Anxious Generation  informs parents, guardians, and teachers about  the rapid decline of teen mental health due to the  explosion of smartphones, increased social media  use, and overprotective parenting tactics. At the  beginning of the 2024–2025 academic year, faculty at  The Bush School were asked to read Haidt’s book and  discuss the important messages outlined. 

 

Haidt’s extensive research is grounded heavily in  the impact of social media on youth mental health,  arguing that it may contribute to increased anxiety  and depression. Today, about seven in ten Americans  support school cellphone bans in class, and another  third favors a ban for the entire school day. But  instead of simply ripping away devices from kids’  hands, Bush faculty wanted to encourage more play  and engagement through sports, clubs, and other  experiential learning activities.  

“Heading into the school year, we asked all faculty  to read this book and consider the implications for  our work here at Bush,” said Assistant Head of School  for Academics Sarah Smith. “During our opening  meetings, we held robust conversations about how  we might take the learnings from Haidt’s research  and develop programming that reduces the reliance  on screens and increases the opportunity for human  connection across our campus. We also wanted  to create classroom spaces in which technology  distractions were minimized, and both students and  faculty could be more present to the shared learning  experience.” 

 

This academic year, each division of The Bush School  began implementing several of the fundamentals  outlined in Haidt’s book in classrooms, including  phone-free schools, playful schools, and better recess  and playgrounds. 

The Bush Upper School became a cellphone-free  campus at the start of the 2024–2025 academic year  to combat teen dependency on cellphone use. The  Middle and Lower Schools had already implemented  a no cellphone-use policy during the academic day. 

Since then, there has been highly positive feedback  from Upper School students and teachers about  boosts in student productivity, mental health, and a  deeper sense of belonging. Before the policy, Upper  School students spent their lunch periods buried  in the screens of their phones. They are now more  compelled to connect with their classmates through  engaging conversations or outdoor competitive  games like spike ball, ping-pong, and football. 

 

“I was excited about the new policy when it was  announced, and it’s been great so far,” said Cam  Glaser ’25. “My screen time has decreased to two  hours a day, and I feel more present in my classes.” 

 

Interactive activities have been placed around  campus to inspire more socialization and playtime.  For example, the Bush counseling offices now display  more board games and cards, such as Bananagrams,  Rummykub, and Name That Tune. The Bush Middle  and Lower Schools also integrated more group  conversations during class to inform them about  safely handling technology. 

“I’m glad to say that our Lower School program  intentionally incorporates many aspects of the ‘PDF’  (playtime, downtime, family time) concept,” said  Lower School Technology faculty Jeffrey Adjei. “On a  smaller scale, I actively aim to support the playtime  and downtime of our students by engaging with them  during recess supervision and fostering classroom  discussions about the responsible use of electronic  resources.” 

At the beginning of his lessons, Jeffrey holds circle  time with his students and asks them a check-in  question, to which they all share a response. The  prompts range from, “Share one of your favorite  sunny-day snacks,” to “How do you balance  on-screen and off-screen time at home?” Jeffrey  often uses these moments to discuss digital  citizenship topics and touch on the concerns raised  in The Anxious Generation. 

This year, Lower School Learning Specialist Shannon  Salverda collaborated with Dr. Abram, Lower School  Director Aliya Virani, Sarah, and the facilities team  to integrate a new Reset Room in the Lower School.  The space was once a tech closet but has been  transformed into an occupational therapy space for  active young students to use between classes.  

“Kids need more opportunities to move,” said  Shannon on the Lower School’s podcast, “The Big  Joe.” “Instead of having kids do jumping jacks in the  hallways, we wanted them to have a space to reset  their bodies and brains, get their wiggles out, and  then return to class, hopefully a little more prepared  for learning.” While some Lower School students  use the room to calm down, talk through issues, or  breathe, others may use the room to amp themselves  up, jump on the trampoline, or participate in other active play. 

“Although technology is a powerful tool to amplify  teaching and learning, we know the most important  ingredient for student growth is great teachers  that bring curriculum to life through in-person,  interactive experiences,” said Lower School Academic  Dean Julie Barber. “It’s irreplaceable. Haidt’s book  illustrates the importance of the human connection  that we see come to life every day in our classrooms.” 

Bush continues to address the need for more play  and social interaction at all divisional levels, and  faculty and staff are doing their part to weave Haidt’s  advice for what schools can do now to combat the  disconnect and mental decline of children and teens.  

 

“With community leadership from Lower School  parents and guardians who are organizing a  ‘Wait Until Eighth’ group focused on encouraging  interested families to unite together in delaying the  introduction of cell phones until eighth grade and creative, innovative faculty who have redesigned  classroom experiences to take full advantage of  greater human connection, discourse, and dialogue,  the vision for the future at Bush is bright, and our  community connectedness is flourishing,” Sarah  said. “The health and well-being of our students  is a high priority for us, and we truly believe that  this year, our new policies have enhanced and  strengthened them.”