Beyond the Anxious Generation: From Viral Panic to ‘The Middle Way’

Social media and smartphones are not going away. Let’s aim for balance instead.

The Irony: When Terror Goes Trending

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve been a Haidt fangirl since I was 20, devouring “The Happiness Hypothesis” like it was the last avocado toast on Earth. I want to be clear that I generally agree with the main points in his latest work “The Anxious Generation:” social media is harming mental health, there should be no social media until at least 16, kids need more time outdoors to play and develop resilience, and phone free schools would be ideal.

Haidt’s got the receipts to support the narrative: a 145% increase in teen girl depression, emergency room visits for self-harm up 188%, and mental health trending downward faster than the life expectancy of a Tamagotchi. It’s enough to make you want to swaddle every teenager in bubble wrap and confiscate their phones. (Spoiler alert: They’d still find a way to post about it.)

However, the widespread adoption and algorithmic amplification of Haidt’s narrative demonstrate an ironic twist: the very mechanisms of social media that Haidt critiques — the tendency for fear-inducing and rage-provoking content to spread rapidly — are the same ones propelling his message to viral status.

Fear is viral. Rage is viral. Alarming statistics and dire predictions capture attention and spread quickly across social media platforms. The algorithms that rule over our digital spaces are designed to amplify content that evokes strong emotional responses, and few emotions are as potent as fear for the future of our society.

This is not to diminish the importance of Haidt’s work or the validity of his concerns. Rather, it’s to highlight how even well-intentioned messages can be co-opted by the very systems they critique, potentially exacerbating the problem by fostering a climate of anxiety, helplessness, and victimization.

Pathologizing an Entire Generation.. Because Labels Are Fun!

Telling young people they are addicted, anxious, and ill-equipped to handle the world can lead to a sense of powerlessness, as if their struggles are an inevitable consequence of the digital age rather than challenges that can be overcome.

There’s a difference between telling young people they’re a problem to be solved versus telling them that life is challenging and they are capable of growing to meet that challenge.

After spending thousands of hours as a college professor listening to GenZ share about the role of social media in their lives and researching the mental health impacts of different media consumption behaviors, it’s clear to me that the “anxious generation” perspectives often overlook the resilience, creativity, adaptability, and optimism that many young people display.

Agency As The Antidote

While traditional media literacy programs have their place, focusing primarily on understanding the negative aspects of social media, business models, and addictive design is not enough. Fact-checking, verification strategies, and digital source evaluation are valuable skills that should be part of standard classroom education, but they do not address the core issues driving problematic social media use.

The goal is not to demonize young adults for using social media or to encourage complete disconnection, but to help individuals develop the self-awareness and skills needed to use these tools in ways that enhance, rather than detract from, their overall well-being and life satisfaction. We must target the root causes of digital dependence by focusing on supporting individuals to understand themselves, their motivations, and their intentions.

The key question to ask is: Why do we reach for our phones? In a world that often feels like a dumpster fire, we need to find healthier ways to deal with our anxieties than using our phones as digital pacifiers.

This approach aligns with what we know about behavior change and psychological well-being. When people feel empowered and capable, they’re more likely to make positive changes in their lives.

By focusing on building skills and fostering agency, we create sustainable change that goes beyond simply reducing screen time or limiting access to certain apps.

The Algorithm Doesn’t Amplify “The Middle Way”

Here’s where we encounter a paradox that’s as frustrating as it is ironic. The very algorithms that spread fear about social media’s impact are the same ones that hinder the circulation of solutions.

Social media algorithms thrive on extremes. They eagerly amplify fear-inducing narratives about the dangers of digital addiction, just as readily as they spread videos of unlikely animal friendships. But when it comes to nuanced, solution-oriented content? The algorithm yawns and scrolls on by.

The problem is, real solutions often lie in “the middle way” — they’re not sensational, they’re sensible. They don’t promise miracle cures or forecast impending doom.

Instead, they offer practical, tested approaches that make a real difference in people’s lives.

This presents a unique challenge for those of us working on solutions. How do we amplify these practical, reasonable messages in a digital ecosystem that favors (negative) extremes? How do we ensure that tested, proven solutions receive the same attention as the problems they address?

The answer isn’t simple, but it’s crucial. We need to find ways to make “the middle way” more engaging, to package nuance in a form that can compete with sensationalism. It’s about making the reasonable remarkable; the practical powerful.

Plot Twist — The Middle Way as a Proven Solution

With all this in mind, over the past six years, my team and I have developed and implemented a program focused on the “the middle way,” which utilizes positive psychology, agency, and self-reflection. We’ve subjected over 600 brave souls to this four-week intervention, teaching them to engage with social media without losing their minds. It’s like learning digital kung fu. Yes, that was a Matrix reference.

Instead of telling young people what they shouldn’t ‘t do, or shaming them for their screen time stats, we create space for them to reflect on their values and goals, to create meaning and purpose, and to live better, both on and offline. The results were deeply insightful:

Prior to our program, participants reported things like “TikTok has me in a chokehold,” “I would 1000% say I’m addicted,” “… it makes me so disappointed in myself,” “… leaves me feeling ashamed,” and “I feel completely aware that it’s hijacking my brain.”

After four weeks, participants reflected with statements like:

• “I’ve truly felt the benefits of being conscious of my social media habits.”
• “My connections have strengthened with my friends.”
• “I’ve been able to put more value and attention into my in-person interactions.”
• “I am actually using it for fun or connectedness instead of distraction.”
• “This challenge has positively changed how I view social media and social approval.”

This proven approach recognizes the reality of the world we live in. Social media and smartphones are not going away.

The solution isn’t to try to return to some sort of romanticized pre-digital hunter-gatherer kumbaya era, but rather to equip young people with the transferable skills they need to thrive in the digital world.

We’ve helped hundreds of Gen Z develop agency, resilience, and healthier relationships with media consumption. It’s significant progress, but it’s not extreme enough to trigger the algorithm’s attention. No one got hurt, no instant cures were discovered, and sadly, no puppies and monkeys became best friends in the process (at least not as far as I know).

WTF Do WE Do? Accountability and Shifting the Narrative

There are many things that “we” as a society can do. The most important (which I am grateful to know many people are already working on) is suing the shit out of the social media companies who allowed this to happen. Screw their corporate greed and lack of foresight.

As we as individuals move forward in addressing the challenges of the digital age, it’s crucial that we maintain a balanced perspective. Yes, we must acknowledge the very real mental health challenges facing Gen Z. But we must also recognize the agency and resilience of young people, and focus on empowering them rather than pathologizing them.

Here’s what we can do:

1. Shift the Narrative: While it’s important to understand the problems, we need to give equal (if not greater) attention to solutions. Let’s talk more about what works, what’s possible, and how young people can take control of their lives.

2. Implement Educational Programs: Schools, community organizations, and even social media platforms themselves should invest in educational programs that focus on building transferable skills and fostering resilience, not just warning about the dangers of addictive design.

3. Amplify The Middle Way: We need to make a concerted effort to share and amplify stories of success, resilience, and positive change in the digital space. This can help counterbalance the often overwhelming narrative of doom and gloom.

4. Encourage Research on Solutions: While there’s been extensive research on the negative impacts of social media, we need more studies on what types of education and interventions work best to mitigate these impacts.

5. Engage Young People: Any solution must involve the active participation of Gen Z themselves. We need to listen to their experiences, respect their perspectives, and involve them in developing strategies for healthier digital engagement.

Ya Gotta Have Faith (In Our Future)

Well, I guess it would be nice if I could touch… AH! (I just had to for the George Michael fans). It’s true, though, we do need faith in our future. The challenges coming from social technologies have real and significant impacts for Gen Z (and all of us, let’s be real). But they are not insurmountable.

Our attention is our single most valuable and powerful resource. And yes, there are tech giants trying to extract every 👏🏻last 👏🏻drop👏🏻. The practices for attentional control, agency, resilience, loving-kindness are available (and meanwhile I believe my friends will take down the tech companies who started this mess).

While my perspective is certainly limited, I’ve been investigating the mental health impacts of social technologies for eight years, and every single year the college students who come through my classroom are better. They’re smarter, more enlivened, quick-witted, curious, and eager to learn. They’ve used the internet to educate themselves to an inspiring level of awareness I could never have imagined when I was 18. Some, yes, are also anxious, but year after year they appear more and more open to receiving tools that can support their wellbeing.

It’s time to move beyond the narrative of the “anxious generation.”

It’s time to focus on empowering Gen Z (and Alpha to come) to become the mindful, intentional, resilient generation capable of harnessing the benefits of technology while mitigating its risks; the “Oh crap, they might actually fix this mess” generation.

It’s time to amplify “the middle way” and put it into action.

Thank you for your time and attention.

To learn more about Dr. Annie Margaret’s work, discover further resources, and/or be part of the conversation, please visit www.postinternetproject.org.

Annie Margaret, PhD, is a dynamic educator, leader, and public speaker serving as Executive Director//Co-Founder of the Post-Internet Project and teaching faculty at the ATLAS Institute, University of Colorado Boulder. With a focus on neuroscience and evidence-based approaches, she helps individuals and teams learn to regulate their nervous systems and manage their relationships with technology. Through her teaching and coaching, she addresses social media dependency, attentional focus, and alignment with personal values, fostering a sense of meaning and purpose in today’s digital world. Annie’s unique approach blends humor, wisdom, and actionable strategies to promote healthier, more intentional engagement with technology, each other, and ourselves.