Building Awareness in the Age of Anxiety

Damascus College and the St Brendan’s Program Shines a Light through Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation

Summary – Key Takeaways for Parents and Educators:

• The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt provides eye-opening insights into how constant digital connectivity is affecting the mental health and wellbeing of today’s young people.
• As both a father and educator, this book changed my perspective on the urgent need for real-world experiences, routines, and reflection in students’ lives.
• At Damascus College, the Year 8 St Brendan’s Program fosters wellbeing through daily routines, reflective writing, and nature-based experiences like the SOLO activity.
• Hands on Learning Program (HoLP) and Vocational Major (VM) students recently participated in the Ctrl Your Scroll workshop, equipping them with practical strategies to manage screen time and develop digital self-control.
• Together, these initiatives aim to build resilience, self-awareness, and healthier habits for our students, responding proactively to the challenges outlined by Haidt.

At the end of last year, I received Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation as a gift, a gesture for which I am truly grateful. I can say, without exaggeration, that reading this book has changed my life, not just in my work as an educator, but also in my daily life as a father. Haidt’s insights into the growing mental health crisis among young people in our digital age have reshaped how I think about schooling, parenting, and what it truly means to help our young people thrive.

Haidt describes today’s children as “the first generation to go through puberty with smartphones in their pockets.” He speaks of a “great rewiring” of childhood, one that has led to rising anxiety, disconnection, and the loss of important developmental experiences. He warns, “We have underprotected children in the digital world and overprotected them in the real world.” That message hit home, both as a parent and an educator, and inspired me to reflect deeply on what we do at Damascus College.

As a father, Haidt’s words felt both confronting and motivating. I see the tug of screens and social media in my own family life, the challenge of finding the right balance between freedom and boundaries, the need for real-world experiences, and opportunities for authentic, face-to-face connection. Haidt’s insight that “regular routines are an antidote to chaos and a buffer against stress” wasn’t just theoretical. It was a call to action I wanted to put into practice at home and at school. As an educator, The Anxious Generation reinforced the importance of intentional structures, meaningful routines, and regular reflection for our students. It reminded me that if we want to see real change, we have to shape the environments, both digital and real-world, that our children move through, and we have to do it together as a community.

At Damascus College, and especially through the Year 8 St Brendan’s Program, we’ve taken Haidt’s research seriously. Each day at St Brendan’s begins with a grounding, repeated routine, a simple yet powerful start, such as reflective journaling or a student-chosen, structured personal activity. This isn’t just a tradition; it’s a practical foundation for wellbeing, helping students begin each day with focus and calm. Haidt’s words ring true here: “A child’s environment shapes their mind, and the routines we build are the rails on which development runs.”

Another practice inspired by Haidt is the central role of reflective writing in our program. Our students write not just for assessment, but as a way to understand themselves, process their day, and develop the lifelong habit of noticing, rather than simply reacting to, the world around them. As Haidt says, “Reflection is the birthplace of wisdom.” We see that wisdom growing in our students every week.

This term, our students took part in a SOLO experience, three hours spent alone in nature, without technology or distraction. Initially, many were nervous about being by themselves for so long, but what unfolded was transformative. They built sculptures from natural materials, wrote poems, and reflected quietly on their surroundings and inner lives. As one student shared, “I had time to think and be creative without my phone.” Haidt reminds us, “Solitude is where creativity and resilience are forged.” Watching our students discover this firsthand was a powerful reminder of the importance of creating real-world experiences away from screens.

While our Year 8 St Brendan’s cohort is focusing on routines and reflection, our Hands on Learning Program (HoLP) and Vocational Major (VM) students are engaging with digital wellbeing in their own way. Recently, they participated in the Ctrl Your Scroll workshop, where they learned practical ways to manage screen time, set healthy digital boundaries, and understand the psychological impacts of constant connectivity. This is living out Haidt’s message: “If we want to prepare children for the world, we must teach them to control their devices before their devices control them.” One VM student reflected, “It made me think about my phone habits and gave me good ideas for how to set limits.” These are the moments, small but significant, that give me hope as both an educator and a parent.

The Anxious Generation was a gift that changed how I see my work and my family life. Haidt’s call for more real-world connection, thoughtful routines, and intentional digital habits is being realised every day at Damascus College, through the St Brendan’s Program and through digital wellbeing initiatives like Ctrl Your Scroll for our HoLP and VM students. These aren’t just educational strategies; they are building blocks for a healthier, more resilient generation. Haidt reminds us, “We can’t change the past, but we can create the conditions for a healthier generation.” At Damascus, that’s the work we are proud to do together, with our students, families, and staff—one meaningful habit at a time.

References:

• Haidt, J. (2024). The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness.
• Ctrl Your Scroll, https://www.ctrlyourscroll.com.au/