MONTVALE, N.J.—Parents, teachers, students, and community members are invited to a powerful evening of connection and conversation on Wednesday, May 7 at 7 p.m. at the Pascack Hills High School Media Center.
The gathering centers on a discussion of The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt.
The event is hosted in partnership with the Hills Valley Coalition for Resilient Youth (HVC), Pascack Hills Parent Academy, and WAIT Until 8th Pascack Valley. Registration is encouraged at HVC.
Organizers invite all to join the conversation—whether or not they’ve read the book (there’s more at the title’s website) This is billed as a safe, welcoming space to explore the challenges of rising youth anxiety and its ripple effects on families, schools, and society. Participants are encouraged to listen, learn, share perspectives, and support one another.
Publisher Penguin Press says The Anxious Generation is the instant #1 New York Times bestseller and a TIME 100 Must-Read Book of 2024. In it, Haidt, a renowned social psychologist, examines the alarming rise in adolescent mental health issues, linking the surge in depression, anxiety, and self-harm to the widespread adoption of smartphones and social media beginning in the early 2010s.
After more than a decade of stability or improvement in youth mental health, the early 2010s saw rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide sharply rise, more than doubling on many measures. Haidt explores how the shift from a “play-based childhood” to a “phone-based childhood” disrupted children’s development. He identifies more than a dozen factors—ranging from sleep deprivation and attention fragmentation to loneliness and social comparison—that have contributed to today’s mental health crisis. His book concludes with a call to action, offering steps that parents, schools, tech companies, and governments can take to help restore a healthier childhood.
Haidt is the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University’s Stern School of Business. A leading social psychologist, his work focuses on the emotional foundations of morality, cultural variation, and the development of moral judgment.
Haidt has written several books, including The Happiness Hypothesis, The Righteous Mind, and The Coddling of the American Mind.
The Hills Valley Coalition for Resilient Youth (HVC) is a partnership of parents, students, community business members, municipal leaders, law enforcement, school officials, and health providers from Hillsdale, Montvale, River Vale, and Woodcliff Lake. Established 17 years ago, HVC’s mission is to promote a healthy, safe, and substance-free environment that supports positive youth development and reduces at-risk teen behavior.
Through newsletters, parent and student programs, online resource sharing, and quarterly community meetings, HVC unifies prevention efforts across the four towns. Its members are committed to empowering families and fostering resilient, connected communities.
For more information about HVC and its programs, visit hillsvalleycoalition.org.