Young people are facing a mental health crisis. Talk to parents, teachers, and therapists, and they will tell you that adolescents and young adults are experiencing higher levels of depression and anxiety than ever before. The statistics bear this out: Rates of depression and suicide among young adults in Generation Z are substantially higher than in previous generations. Why and what can we do?

In his new book, The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt blames life online. As smartphones became ubiquitous, teenagers and young adults spent more and more time on social media, scrolling and obsessing over online posts, ads, and apps. Haidt argues that this “natural experiment” of the explosion of technology has led to the “great rewiring” of adolescent and young adult minds.

There is good evidence that an obsessive online life contributes to increasing mental health concerns, and surely, we should monitor their—and our own—online time and presence.

Gen Z experienced yet another natural experiment. A worldwide pandemic that led to lockdowns and social and political turmoil. They are not only the anxious generation; they are also the COVID generation.

My colleagues and I began studying first-year college students within weeks of the lockdown. Across four universities, we studied several hundred students during the lockdown year........

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