Chris Pratt

In 'The Anxious Generation', Jonathan Haidt examines the sudden decline in the mental health of adolescents starting in the early 2010s. He attributes this decline to the shift from a 'play-based childhood' to a 'phone-based childhood', highlighting mechanisms such as sleep deprivation, attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social contagion, and perfectionism that interfere with children’s social and neurological development. Haidt proposes four simple rules to address this issue: no smartphones before high school, no social media before age 16, phone-free schools, and more opportunities for independence, free play, and responsibility. The book offers a clear call to action for parents, teachers, schools, tech companies, and governments to restore a more humane childhood and end the epidemic of mental illness among youth.

In *The Vanishing American Adult*, Senator Ben Sasse argues that America's youth are facing a coming-of-age crisis due to overprotective parenting and ineffective government programs. He proposes practical solutions for parents to cultivate self-reliance and character in their children, emphasizing the importance of hard work, travel, literacy, and physical health. Sasse believes these traits are essential for the future of American democracy.