This week we're covering chapter eight, "Spiritual Elevation and Degradation" from The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. In this chapter, Haidt explores how the decline of spiritual and communal practices has impacted the mental health of young people in the digital age. He argues that humans have a natural inclination toward spiritual experiences, which historically provided meaning, connection, and transcendence through shared rituals and beliefs. However, the rise of technology, particularly smartphones and social media, has replaced these uplifting experiences with shallow, individualistic, and often degrading digital interactions. Haidt suggests that this shift has left Generation Z more disconnected, anxious, and spiritually unmoored, as virtual environments fail to fulfill the human need for awe, purpose, and community. He emphasizes the importance of fostering real-world spiritual practices, such as mindfulness, religious engagement, or nature-based experiences, to counteract the negative effects of digital overload. The chapter calls for a cultural reclamation of sacred, embodied experiences to restore mental and emotional well-being in young people.

If you want to join the discussion, please click here to join our online book club community!

Head to patreon.com/theslpbookclub/membership to become an SLP Book Club supporter! You'll get episodes early and ad-free and a resource from Laura's TPT store every month.

You can check out Adrianne's new app, Say Hello, by going to sayhellospeech.com/say-hello-app.

View the app in the Apple App Store here and on Google Play here.

If you love what we're doing at the SLP Book Club, please consider leaving us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen. This is the best way to support the podcast and help other SLPs and educators find us!

Join the discussion on instagram @slp_bookclub.

Find us on TikTok @theslpbookclub.

A lot of the resources mentioned in the podcast are free to download in the Laura G SLP store on TPT, find them here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're covering chapter seven, "What is Happening to Boys?" from The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. In this chapter, Haidt examines the mental health crisis affecting boys, driven by the shift to a phone-based childhood. Since the early 2010s, boys have experienced rising depression and anxiety, though less severely than girls, alongside a long-term decline in school engagement and achievement. The accessibility of video games and pornography has pulled many boys into virtual worlds, reducing real-world social interactions and contributing to loneliness and disconnection. For a subset of boys, excessive gaming leads to addiction, harming mental and physical health and straining family relationships. Haidt notes that boys’ retreat into digital spaces, coupled with overprotective parenting and reduced unsupervised play, hinders their development of resilience and social skills. This "Great Rewiring" of childhood has left many boys at risk of "failure to launch," with some becoming young adults not engaged in education, employment, or training.

If you want to join the discussion, please click here to join our online book club community!

Head to patreon.com/theslpbookclub/membership to become an SLP Book Club supporter! You'll get episodes early and ad-free and a resource from Laura's TPT store every month.

You can check out Adrianne's new app, Say Hello, by going to sayhellospeech.com/say-hello-app.

View the app in the Apple App Store here and on Google Play here.

If you love what we're doing at the SLP Book Club, please consider leaving us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen. This is the best way to support the podcast and help other SLPs and educators find us!

Join the discussion on instagram @slp_bookclub.

Find us on TikTok @theslpbookclub.

A lot of the resources mentioned in the podcast are free to download in the Laura G SLP store on TPT, find them here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're covering chapter six from The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, "Why Social Media Harms Girls More." In this chapter, Jonathan Haidt explores the disproportionate negative impact of social media on girls' mental health. He argues that girls are more vulnerable to social media's effects due to their heightened sensitivity to social comparison and relational aggression. The chapter highlights how platforms amplify insecurities through curated images and idealized lifestyles, leading to increased anxiety, depression, and body image issues. Haidt cites research showing that girls who spend more time on social media report lower self-esteem and higher rates of self-harm. He emphasizes the need for targeted interventions to mitigate these harms, such as limiting social media use and fostering real-world connections.

If you want to join the discussion, please click here to join our online book club community!

Head to patreon.com/theslpbookclub/membership to become an SLP Book Club supporter! You'll get episodes early and ad-free and a resource from Laura's TPT store every month.

You can check out Adrianne's new app, Say Hello, by going to sayhellospeech.com/say-hello-app.

View the app in the Apple App Store here and on Google Play here.

If you love what we're doing at the SLP Book Club, please consider leaving us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen. This is the best way to support the podcast and help other SLPs and educators find us!

Join the discussion on instagram @slp_bookclub.

Find us on TikTok @theslpbookclub.

A lot of the resources mentioned in the podcast are free to download in the Laura G SLP store on TPT, find them here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.