#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.
On sale: December 30, 2025
Age: 9-12 years
Grade: Grades 4-7
Page count: 240 Pages
ISBN: 9798217111909
Reading level: Lexile: 1040L | Fountas/Pinnell: S
Jonathan Haidt (pronounced
height) is a social psychologist and professor at New York University's Stern School of Business. His early research was on morality, emotion, and culture, but since 2018 he has been studying the contributions of social media to the decline of teen mental health and the rise of political dysfunction. He is the author of
The Happiness Hypothesis and of three
New York Times bestsellers:
The Righteous Mind, The Coddling of the American Mind (with Greg Lukianoff), and the international bestseller
The Anxious Generation. His goal is to help young people and democracies flourish in the digital age.
Catherine Price is an author, speaker, health and science journalist, and former middle school teacher. Her bestselling books include
The Power of Fun and
How to Break Up with Your Phone, and she is the author of the
How to Feel Alive Substack newsletter
. Her work has been featured in publications including
The Best American Science Writing,
The New York Times,
The Wall Street Journal, and
Popular Science, and her TED talk on fun has been viewed more than 5 million times. Her goal is to help people of all ages scroll less and live more.
Cynthia Yuan Cheng graduated from MICA with a B.F.A. in Illustration. Their debut graphic novel in the Baby-sitters Club series,
Mary Anne's Bad Luck Mystery, is a
New York Times Bestseller and their graphic novel
Win is forthcoming.
“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
