The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt becomes a sales phenomenon in Brazil
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Loading... - Bill Bouchard
- 12 Aug 2024
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The book The Anxious Generation by American psychologist Jonathan Haidt, which explores the significant harm caused by cell phone use among children and adolescents, has become a massive sales phenomenon in Brazil. The book has already been a bestseller internationally, staying on the New York Times bestseller list for 19 weeks and selling over 600,000 copies in the U.S. and more than 100,000 in the U.K.
In Brazil, the book was released by Companhia das Letras, which advanced its launch by six months due to overwhelming demand. In just two weeks, 25,000 copies were sold, and the publisher has already issued two additional print runs of 15,000 and 10,000 copies, respectively. These numbers are particularly impressive given that the average print run for books in Brazil is around 3,000 copies. Additionally, 2,000 e-book copies have been sold.
The success of the book led Companhia das Letras to organize a launch event at Cinesala in São Paulo’s Pinheiros neighborhood, which featured a talk by pediatrician Daniel Becker, a prominent social media figure who wrote the back cover of The Anxious Generation. Tickets for the event, which did not include an appearance by Haidt himself, sold out in just three days. Becker, like Haidt, advocates for strict limits on cell phone use among children and adolescents, arguing that smartphones should not be used by those under 14 and that social media use should be delayed until age 16. Both also support banning cell phones in school environments from kindergarten through high school.
The event also received institutional support from the Desconecta Movement, a group of São Paulo mothers who share Haidt's concerns and have been pushing for schools to ban cell phone use. The movement, launched two months ago, already has over 33,000 followers on Instagram and the backing of 277 schools across 19 states.
State deputy Marina Helou (Rede-SP), who has proposed legislation to ban cell phones in public and private schools in São Paulo, attended the event. Her bill has garnered bipartisan support, with co-authors from both the right and left, including deputies from Lula's PT party, Bolsonaro's PL party, and the Republican party of Governor Tarcísio de Freitas. The Legislative Assembly has approved a motion for an urgent vote on the proposal, and it is expected to be voted on soon.
