God’s Hope for the Anxious Generation 

Writen By Sammie Gallo, Creator of Abundant Life: You Were Made for More

Maybe you’ve heard these names before:

Megan Meier 

Amanda Todd 

Tyler Clementi 

All of these names have kept the discussion going about mental health in the younger generations for years… I don’t have to tell you as a parent that some things have changed throughout those years, and some haven’t. The names you are reading above were lives that ended far too soon – because of a struggle that so many teens face with anxiety, bullying, depression, self worth, and thoughts of self harm. Awareness has increased. Advocacy has increased. But many of the struggles have not decreased.

UPDATED STATISTICS 

Study after study indicates that Generation Z is not thriving in today’s social isolation and social media climate. For example, a 2023 study of the impact of social media by the McKinsey Health Institute concluded that, although social media and technology have a positive impact on social connection and self-expression across generations, “Negative effects seem to be greatest for younger generations, with particularly pronounced impacts for Gen Zers who spend more than two hours a day on social media and Gen Zers with poor mental health.” Also in 2023, the US Office of the Surgeon General released an advisory in which it compiled the results of multiple studies and concluded: “greater social media use predicted poor sleep, online harassment, poor body image, low self-esteem, and higher depressive symptom scores.”

The connection between social media use and such negative outcomes is undeniable.

The good news is this: Biblical faith does not promise an immediate, one-and-done fix or label all mental distress as a lack of faith. Instead, it teaches that God is present in the shadow, and that human worth is anchored in Christ rather than fluctuating feelings or social status.

In his book The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt makes the case that the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems is due in part, but not in whole, to extensive use of social media. He states, “My central claim in this book is that these two trends —overprotection in the real world and underprotection in the virtual world—are the major reasons why children born after 1995 became the anxious generation.”³ Haidt explains that as children mature, free play is essential to their physical and social development. Starting in the 1980s and 1990s, however, parents, more fearful and mistrusting of the world around them than previous generations, began supervising their children more frequently. Then, in the middle of this shift, technology increased and smartphones were introduced. Haidt contends, “Between 2010 and 2015, the social lives of American teens moved largely onto smartphones with continuous access to social media, online video games, and other internet-based activities. This Great Rewiring of Childhood, I argue, is the single largest reason for the tidal wave of adolescent mental illness that began in the early 2000s.”⁵ Haidt goes on to explain four fundamental harms caused by the overuse of smartphones (sleep deprivation, social deprivation, cognitive fragmentation, and addiction) as well as four recommended reforms to reverse the trend (no smartphones before high school; no social media before sixteen; phone-free schools; and far more unsupervised play and childhood independence).

I highly recommend this book- it is informative and challenging as we critically think about what we value as we raise our kids to be disciples of Jesus and knowers of their worth. 

A BIBLICAL OUTLOOK

Considering Haidt’s conclusions and all the other evidence, the situation facing Generation Z and future generations seems bleak. Is there really a fix? As parents of those generations, the responsibility to guide our children through anxiety can feel overwhelming. We are not alone, however, and the Bible offers us helpful reminders and counsel that we should not forget.

The Truth: God Purposefully Created Every Child

David’s words in Psalm 139:13–14 remind us of God’s intentional care for every child: “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” God’s message to the prophet in Jeremiah 1:5 offers a similar explanation of God’s plan for the birth of an individual child: “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” Clearly, God cares about the children he creates, and the fact that he has a plan for each of them should give us comfort as parents.

His care for them should give us comfort as parents. We can rest assured knowing that, ultimately, God loves our children (John 3:16), is with them (Matthew 1:23), for them (Romans 8:31), and cares for them (1 Peter 5:7). 

I encourage you as parents – write these Scriptures in your heart! Memorize them. Speak about them as you wake, when you go to sleep, as you are going about your day. Engrain them in your mind, so that when the world gets too loud, you can recall these Truths. 

God is sovereign, and this fact alone ensures that even our children’s difficulties will result in good. 

PRACTICAL HELP

As parents, we sometimes wrestle with implementing the right safeguards for our children. How far from home can they go on their own? When, if ever, can they participate in a sleepover? How much time can they spend playing video games? When is the right time to introduce cell phones and social media? As the parents of prior generations did, we want to ensure that our children remain safe and can grow up in a healthy manner, protected from undue harm. However, we cannot shelter them from everything and SHOULD trust that God sees them when we do not (easier said than done, I know). This is why setting a solid biblical foundation for children in childhood is so important prior to those adolescent years. Capturing their hearts will help guide them as they step into a world that contradicts what the Bible says. Another book recommendation: The Tech Wise Family by Andy Crouch offers practical solutions as you think through these topics as a family.

If we look at Romans, we find comfort. Paul covered many themes in his letter to the Romans, but overall, he encouraged them with the hope that God had made salvation available to any who would receive it. That salvation has a tremendous impact on both the present life and the life to come. When discussing present suffering and hardship, Paul notes in Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” That means that even when we are not there to keep our children from difficulty, we can trust that God will use that difficulty for their good. At their lowest point, God promises to be at work.

The Gospel also offers freedom from these struggles, and hope for the future. Why? Because God is intimately concerned with our children, but his greatest promises, like those in Romans, are reserved for his children. We must make every effort to ensure that our children hear and receive the gospel so they can know its freedom and hope.

We live in a society that promotes self-reliance, condemns weakness, and looks down on those who need help. It should come as no surprise that much anxiety stems from the failure to meet unrealistic expectations of strength or to keep up pretenses of autonomy. We are flawed and imperfect people who were created with a deep need for community and a longing to experience the fullness of life in God. However, we cannot achieve that on our own. The gospel demands that we rely on God to reconcile us to him, to fix a problem we cannot. As Ephesians 2:8 reminds us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”

Most importantly.. The Gospel confirms that evil exists but does not have the final word.

When describing the consequences of evil, Paul noted in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death . . .” If those six words were the full message, we would have every reason to fear. However, Paul continued, “. . . but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The second half of the message reminds us that while evil exists, forgiveness overcomes, and we are safe in God’s care. Hard times do not last forever, and all problems have solutions. When your children feel alone, frightened, or insecure, you can remind them that the gospel assures us that we are eternally protected if we belong to him. Although circumstances may cause us to be anxious, there is relief in the security of God’s grace.

SOURCES:

https://www.aecf.org/blog/generation-z-and-mental-health