The Amazing Generation: Your Guide to Fun and Freedom in a Screen-Filled World

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Inspired by the award-winning phenomenon The Anxious Generation, this new book for kids and tweens is a comprehensive guide for living a happy and exciting life that isn’t hijacked by a smartphone.

A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year!

Jonathan Haidt’s blockbuster book, The Anxious Generation, has sparked a global conversation about the effects of smartphones and social media on young people’s development, and has inspired millions of parents, teachers, and leaders to take action. Now, Haidt and Catherine Price, author of the bestselling How to Break Up with Your Phone, have teamed up to create a new book that speaks directly to kids. Their goal? To empower young people to stand up for themselves by choosing a life not dominated by screens and social media.

Whether or not kids already have smartphones or social media accounts, this engaging guide is packed with surprising facts, a graphic novel, interactive challenges, secrets that tech leaders don’t want kids to know, and real-life anecdotes from young adults who regret getting smartphones at a young age and want to help the next generation avoid making the same mistakes.

But this isn’t just a book about what not to do. It’s a bold, optimistic, and practical guide to growing into your most authentic, confident, and adventurous self. Readers won’t just discover how to avoid becoming the next Anxious Generation. They’ll learn how to become amazing.

Jonathan Haidt is the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University's Stern School of Business. He received his Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992 and then did post-doctoral research at the University of Chicago and in Orissa, India. He taught at the University of Virginia for 16 years before moving to NYU-Stern in 2011. He was named one of the "top global thinkers" by Foreign Policy magazine, and one of the "top world thinkers" by Prospect magazine.

His research focuses on morality - its emotional foundations, cultural variations, and developmental course. He began his career studying the negative moral emotions, such as disgust, shame, and vengeance, but then moved on to the understudied positive moral emotions, such as admiration, awe, and moral elevation. He is the co-developer of Moral Foundations theory, and of the research site YourMorals.org. He is a co-founder of HeterodoxAcademy.org, which advocates for viewpoint diversity in higher education. He uses his research to help people understand and respect the moral motives of their enemies (see CivilPolitics.org, and see his TED talks). He is the author of The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom; The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion; and (with Greg Lukianoff) The Coddling of the American Mind: How good intentions and bad ideas are setting a generation up for failure. For more information see www.JonathanHaidt.com

“A book of tips, tricks, and the science behind smartphone and device addiction that completely respects its audience. This brilliant volume is filled with hard truths that still ring with positivity, and the design and comic-style illustrations will keep readers’ interest while making a case for the importance of unplugging.”—School Library Journal (Best Books of the Year)

"The book’s design provides plenty of attention-grabbing material, but it’s the research that makes it relevant and convincing, particularly since the authors never blame the users of technology. The book addresses the importance of choosing a better path to support and maintain mental health with conviction. Will inspire balanced and thoughtful decision-making in a world where technology is designed to promote impulsivity." —Kirkus

"[An] eye-roll–proof script for calmer boundaries and fewer power struggles."—Oprah Daily

"This is an eye-opening book, designed for kids but also incredibly readable for parents who know that we need to do something, anything to proactively get them away from screens—but who aren’t quite sure how to convince them."—The Boston Globe

★"What makes this book stand out is its upbeat, encouraging approach.. Haidt and Price offer kid-friendly strategies... Their book’s illustrations and graphics are bright, fun, and engaging and feature a diverse set of teens. A fresh, motivating guide recommended for students and educators who want to encourage independence, curiosity, and real-world adventures, and a fun reminder that life off-screen can be just as exciting as the digital world, if not more.” —School Library Journal, starred review

"An important antidote to the daily pull and messaging of the online world."—NPR.org

"Kids should appreciate the way the book puts responsibility in their hands and empowers them to fight back. The advice is specific and persuasive: Delete your account. Put down your phone. Go outside."—Washington Post Book Club