
Audio only
Anxious
From Playgrounds to Platforms the Rise of Childhood AnxietyBy Eden B. HollisLength3h 44m
About this audiobook
Childhood is changing faster than ever before, and anxiety is rising just as quickly. Anxious: From Playgrounds to Platforms and The Rise of Childhood Anxiety is a powerful, eye, opening guide that reveals why today’s children are struggling more than any generation before them, and what parents, educators, and communities can do to reclaim a healthier, freer childhood.
In this compelling and deeply accessible book, readers explore how the journey from sandpits to screens has reshaped the emotional world of young people. Once defined by outdoor play, imagination, friendships, and freedom, childhood has been replaced by constant digital stimulation, comparison, perfectionism, online pressure, disrupted sleep, and shrinking opportunities for real, world resilience. Through clear explanations and relatable examples, the book uncovers how these forces are creating a surge in childhood anxiety, loneliness, and stress.
Anxious guides readers through the hidden mechanics of the modern childhood environment: the rapid rise of smartphones, the viral spread of fears and social pressures, the impact of sleep loss, the erosion of attention, and the increasing dominance of platforms in shaping behaviour and identity. It reveals how the constant need for approval, the fear of missing out, the addictive designs of digital experiences, and the rise of performance culture are placing unprecedented strain on young minds.
But this book is not simply a diagnosis, it is a pathway forward. Readers will learn how to identify early warning signs of anxiety, rebuild healthy boundaries around technology, support emotional wellbeing, and restore the lost pillars of childhood: play, autonomy, connection, creativity, sleep, and real, world experiences. It also explores how schools, families, and communities can work together to address digital pressures, strengthen mental health, and create environments where children feel safe, confident, and grounded.
If you are a parent, teacher, caregiver, or anyone concerned about the wellbeing of the next generation, Anxious will give you the clarity and confidence to make meaningful changes. It sheds light on why children today feel overwhelmed, why anxiety is becoming more widespread, and what practical steps you can take to help young people feel more secure and capable in an always, on world.
This is more than a book about anxiety; it is a blueprint for hope. It offers a new lens for understanding the modern childhood crisis and inspires readers to take action, to reclaim childhood from platform, driven pressures and restore the balance every child needs to thrive. Thought, provoking, compassionate, and deeply relevant, Anxious is an essential guide for navigating the challenges of growing up in the digital age.
Audiobook details
GenrePsychology
Length3 hrs 44 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateNov 27, 2025
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Other Versions Available
1613. When Childhood Became Content
2Have Questions / Comments?
1714. Parents in the Digital Crossfire
3Get Free Stuff
1815. Schools on the Frontline
41. The Childhood We Lost
1916. Big Tech and Little Minds
52. From Playgrounds to Platforms
2017. Collective Action Problems
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63. The Smartphone Tsunami
2118. Four Rules for a Freer Childhood
74. Anxiety Goes Viral
2219. Reclaiming Real Life
85. Sleep, Screens, and Stolen Rest
2320. A Blueprint for Hope
96. The Comparison Trap
2421. Practical Steps for Calming Childhood Anxiety in a Digital World
107. Girls Online, Boys Offline
2522. Practical Ways to Reduce Childhood Anxiety in a Digital, Heavy World
118. Loneliness in a Connected World
2623. 90, Day Action Plan to Reduce Childhood Anxiety in a Digital, Heavy World
129. The Vanishing Art of Play
2724. How to Offer Support to a Child Struggling with Anxiety in a Digital World
1310. Attention Under Siege
2825. Frequently Asked Questions About Childhood Anxiety in a Digital World
1411. Addicted by Design
2926. Common Myths About Childhood Anxiety in a Digital World
1512. The Rise of Perfectionism