In this book, Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend provide biblically-based answers to help readers set healthy boundaries with their spouses, children, friends, parents, co-workers, and even themselves. The authors discuss how to establish clear personal property lines, manage digital life, and address common questions about setting boundaries. The book aims to help readers achieve a balanced lifestyle by understanding and implementing healthy boundaries in all areas of life.
In 'The Anxious Generation', Jonathan Haidt examines the sudden decline in the mental health of adolescents starting in the early 2010s. He attributes this decline to the shift from a 'play-based childhood' to a 'phone-based childhood', highlighting mechanisms such as sleep deprivation, attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social contagion, and perfectionism that interfere with children’s social and neurological development. Haidt proposes four simple rules to address this issue: no smartphones before high school, no social media before age 16, phone-free schools, and more opportunities for independence, free play, and responsibility. The book offers a clear call to action for parents, teachers, schools, tech companies, and governments to restore a more humane childhood and end the epidemic of mental illness among youth.
Guests: Andy Crouch, Amy Crouch, Jonathan Haidt, Tristan Harris
Adults spend an average of 4.5 hours on their smartphones every day.
The scale of our addiction to technology is only getting worse. In our lives and the lives of our children, smart devices suffocate us. We struggle to turn away and turn them off.
What can we do to solve technology addiction?
It’s not about looking the other way. Technology will always be with us. Christians can shape it in a redemptive direction while also keeping it in its proper place.
Discussion Questions:
- How do you see parallels between historical cigarette marketing and current technology marketing? What lessons can we learn from this comparison?
- The episode mentions creating "rules where there is misery." What areas of your digital life might benefit from clearer boundaries?
- How can families implement technology boundaries without creating resentment or resistance from children?
Solving the World's Greatest Problems 
