iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy--and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood--and What That Means for the Rest of Us

A highly readable and entertaining first look at how today’s members of iGen are vastly different from their Millennial predecessors, and from any other generation, from the renowned psychologist and author of Generation Me"Analyzes how the young people born in the mid-1990s and later significantly differ from those of previous generations, examining how social media and texting may be behind today's unprecedented levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness." - Prové de l'editorWith generational divides wider than ever, parents, educators, and employers have an urgent need to understand today’s rising generation of teens and young adults. Born in the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s and later, iGen is the first generation to spend their entire adolescence in the age of the smartphone. With social media and texting replacing other activities, iGen spends less time with their friends in person - perhaps why they are experiencing unprecedented levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness.But technology is not the only thing that makes iGen distinct from every generation before them; they are also different in how they spend their time, how they behave, and in their attitudes toward religion, sexuality, and politics. They socialize in completely new ways, reject once-sacred social taboos, and want different things from their lives and careers. More than previous generations, they are obsessed with safety, focused on tolerance, and have no patience for inequality. As this new group of young people grows into adulthood, we all need to understand Friends and family need to look out for them; businesses must figure out how to recruit them and sell to them; colleges and universities must know how to educate and guide them. And members of iGen also need to understand themselves as they communicate with their elders and explain their views to their older peers. Because where iGen goes, so goes our nation - and the world. "They were born after 1995. They grew up with cell phones, had an Instagram page before they started high school, and do not remember a time before the Internet. They are different from any generation that came before them. They are one in four Americans. They are iGen. And they have arrived."--Book jacket. "In this fascinating and lively book, Dr. Jean Twenge offers a revelatory portrait of a new generation that is growing up more slowly and more anxious--but also more tolerant and more safe--than any generation in history. They stay away from grown-up temptations like alcohol and sex, but they also avoid grown-up responsibilities, like learning to drive, moving out of the house, and gaining financial independence. They're open-minded, forward-thinking, and prudent in ways that previous generations of young people were not. The traits and trends of iGen can seem puzzling or even counterintuitive, but if we want to interact with them successfully--to parent them, to teach them, to work with them, to market to them--we need to understand who they are and why they behave in the ways that they do. With generational divides that are deeper and wider than ever, parents, educators, and employers have an urgent need to understand today's rising generation of teens and young adults who are just starting to enter the workforce. As social media and texting replace other recreational activities and ways of communicating, iGen'ers spend less time with their friends and loved ones in person--which perhaps explains why they are experiencing unprecedented levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. But technology is not the only thing that makes iGen distinct. Through her extensive research, revelatory interviews, and deep analysis of data drawn from more than 11 million respondents over multiple decades, Dr. Twenge demonstrates that iGen's uniqueness also lies in how they spend their time, how they behave, and in their surprising attitudes toward religion, sexuality, and politics. As this new group of young people grows into adulthood, we all need to understand them. Because where iGen goes, so goes our nation--and the world."--Book jacket A highly readable and entertaining first look at how today’s members of iGen—the children, teens, and young adults born in the mid-1990s and later—are vastly different from their Millennial predecessors, and from any other generation, from the renowned psychologist and author of Generation Me . With generational divides wider than ever, parents, educators, and employers have an urgent need to understand today’s rising generation of teens and young adults. Born in the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s and later, iGen is the first generation to spend their entire adolescence in the age of the smartphone. With social media and texting replacing other activities, iGen spends less time with their friends in person—perhaps why they are experiencing unprecedented levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. But technology is not the only thing that makes iGen distinct from every generation before them; they are also different in how they spend their time, how they behave, and in their attitudes toward religion, sexuality, and politics. They socialize in completely new ways, reject once sacred social taboos, and want different things from their lives and careers. More than previous generations, they are obsessed with safety, focused on tolerance, and have no patience for inequality. iGen is also growing up more slowly than previous generations: eighteen-year-olds look and act like fifteen-year-olds used to. As this new group of young people grows into adulthood, we all need to understand them: Friends and family need to look out for them; businesses must figure out how to recruit them and sell to them; colleges and universities must know how to educate and guide them. And members of iGen also need to understand themselves as they communicate with their elders and explain their views to their older peers. Because where iGen goes, so goes our nation—and the world. A highly readable and entertaining first look at how today’s members of iGen—the children, teens, and young adults born in the mid-1990s and later—are vastly different from their Millennial predecessors, and from any other generation, from the renowned psychologist and author of__Generation Me__.With generational divides wider than ever, parents, educators, and employers have an urgent need to understand today’s rising generation of teens and young adults. Born in the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s and later, iGen is the first generation to spend their entire adolescence in the age of the smartphone. With social media and texting replacing other activities, iGen spends less time with their friends in person—perhaps why they are experiencing unprecedented levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness.But technology is not the only thing that makes iGen distinct from every generation before them; they are also different in how they spend their time, how they behave, and in their attitudes toward religion, sexuality, and politics. They socialize in completely new ways, reject once sacred social taboos, and want different things from their lives and careers. More than previous generations, they are obsessed with safety, focused on tolerance, and have no patience for inequality. iGen is also growing up more slowly than previous generations: eighteen-year-olds look and act like fifteen-year-olds used to.As this new group of young people grows into adulthood, we all need to understand them: Friends and family need to look out for them; businesses must figure out how to recruit them and sell to them; colleges and universities must know how to educate and guide them. And members of iGen also need to understand themselves as they communicate with their elders and explain their views to their older peers. Because where iGen goes, so goes our nation—and the world. As seen in Time, USA TODAY, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, and on CBS This Morning, BBC, PBS, CNN, and NPR, iGen is crucial reading to understand how the children, teens, and young adults born in the mid-1990s and later are vastly different from their Millennial predecessors, and from any other generation. With generational divides wider than ever, parents, educators, and employers have an urgent need to understand today's rising generation of teens and young adults. Born in the mid-1990s up to the mid-2000s, iGen is the first generation to spend their entire adolescence in the age of the smartphone. With social media and texting replacing other activities, iGen spends less time with their friends in person -- perhaps contributing to their unprecedented levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. But technology is not the only thing that makes iGen distinct from every generation before them; they are also different in how they spend their time, how they behave, and in their attitudes toward religion, sexuality, and politics. They socialize in completely new ways, reject once sacred social taboos, and want different things from their lives and careers. More than previous generations, they are obsessed with safety, focused on tolerance, and have no patience for inequality. With the first members of iGen just graduating from college, we all need to understand them: friends and family need to look out for them; businesses must figure out how to recruit them and sell to them; colleges and universities must know how to educate and guide them. And members of iGen also need to understand themselves as they communicate with their elders and explain their views to their older peers. Because where iGen goes, so goes our nation -- and the world. - Publisher Dr. Jean Twenge offers a portrait of a new generation that is growing up more slowly and more anxious -- but also more tolerant and more safe -- than any generation in history. They stay away from grown-up temptations like alcohol and sex, but they also avoid grown-up responsibilities, like learning to drive, moving out of the house, and gaining financial independence. They're open-minded, forward-thinking, and prudent in ways that previous generations of young people were not. The traits and trends of iGen can seem puzzling or even counterintuitive, but if we want to interact with them successfully -- to parent them, to teach them, to work with them, to market to them -- we need to understand who they are and why they behave in the ways that they do. With generational divides that are deeper and wider than ever, parents, educators, and employers have an urgent need to understand today's rising generation of teens and young adults who are just starting to enter the workforce. As social media and texting replace other recreational activities and ways of communicating, iGen'ers spend less time with their friends and loved ones in person -- which perhaps explains why they are experiencing unprecedented levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. But technology is not the only thing that makes iGen distinct. Through her research, interviews, and analysis of data drawn from more than 11 million respondents over multiple decades, Dr. Twenge demonstrates that iGen's uniqueness also lies in how they spend their time, how they behave, and in their surprising attitudes toward religion, sexuality, and politics. As this new group of young people grows into adulthood, we all need to understand them. Because where iGen goes, so goes our nation -- and the world. They were born after 1995. They grew up with cell phones, had an Instagram page before they started high school, and do not remember a time before the Internet. They are iGen. In the book that has sparked conversations around the world, Dr. Jean Twenge offers a revelatory portrait of a new generation growing up more slowly and more anxious -- but also more socially tolerant and safe -- then any generation in history. Through her deep analysis of data drawn from more than 11 million respondents over multiple decades, Dr. Twenge identifies iGen's surprising attitudes toward religion, sexuality, and politics, as well as unprecedented levels of anxiety and loneliness. As this new group of young people grows into adulthood, parents, educators, and employers have an urgent need to understand them. Because where iGen goes, so goes our nation -- and the world. - Back cover Who is iGen, and how do we know? -- In no hurry: Growing up slowly -- Internet: Online time - oh, and other media too -- In person no more: I'm with you, but only virtually -- Insecure: The new mental health crisis -- Irreligious: Losing my religion (and spirituality) -- Insulated but not less intrinsic: More safety and less community -- Income insecurity: Working to earn - but not to shop -- Indefinite: Sex, marriage, and children -- Inclusive: LGBT, gender, and race issues in the new age -- Independent: Politics -- Understanding - and saving - iGen.