Red Hook Reads: Join discussion of phone, screen impact on childhood development

 

Childhood has fundamentally changed with the rise of smartphones and social media. That much is clear.

Understanding the depth of that transformation and the effect it is having on behavioral development and wellness is more difficult.

The Red Hook Central School District, in association with Red Hook Public Library and Tivoli Free Library, is inviting the community to join a community discussion on those broad issues through a new initiative called Red Hook Reads.

Through Red Hook Reads, participants are invited to read “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness” and engage in community events that include group book studies, talks, workshops and others to explore the themes covered in the book.

Roughly 200 free copies of the book by Jonathan Haidt are available, purchased through a Red Hook Education Foundation grant. You can sign up for the program here, or at the Red Hook Reads webpage.

The initiative is part of a broader focus throughout the school district on mental health and wellbeing awareness. The district held its inaugural Wellness Fair at Mill Road Elementary School this fall, in which parents and students could learn more about healthy actions while engaging in games and activities. The high school this fall also began offering two classes focused on maintaining mental health: Freshman Focus, a first-year course to help students build healthy habits through their high school experience; and Mind, Body, Wellness, which students can take each year as an alternative physical education credit.

“The Anxious Generation” has captured national attention since it was published in March 2024. It examines the impact of the digital age, in which play-based childhood has been replaced by screen-based childhood and what the long-term effects of that may be.

“I think there are a lot of parents who are trying to parse these things out,” said district K-12 Music Department Chairperson Matthew Funigiello, who is spearheading the inaugural Red Hook Reads.

While the broad idea that screens and social media has encouraged the growth of mental health challenges among young people isn’t new, Funigiello said Haidt’s book “takes that feeling that ‘We know this isn’t great,’ and he puts hard facts behind it.

“He’s built an exceptional case that it’s not just ‘social media is just bad’ but it really is retooling how the brain works at a critical time in child development,” Funigiello said.

The group book studies will be hosted by the Red Hook and Tivoli libraries beginning in January. Other events will be planned and revealed as the year rolls on. Funigiello noted, the goal is to offer aspects of the program that appeal to residents and families in different ways, in order to capture as many perspectives into the discussion as possible.

“Whatever way people want to participate, they should have the opportunity to participate in things that are very consequential – not just for school and children, but community health, in general,” he said. “Interface with it the way you want to.”

Red Hook Reads is already underway. Through the fall, groups of school district employees have engaged in book studies and discussions focusing on how to leverage professional expertise, strengthen relationships with students and families, and utilize district resources to address challenges that include screen-based childhood and adolescent mental health.

“The passion and dedication our teachers bring to these discussions, especially their commitment to finding practical, meaningful solutions to the challenges we face together has been very inspiring and will have great impact on the well-being of the Red Hook community,” Funigiello said.

Throughout the program, the Red Hook Reads webpage will be updated with articles and videos that dive deeper into the broader subjects discussed.

The 2024-25 edition of Red Hook Reads will culminate in May with a planned panel discussion and community meal that will be free of phones.