3 things Gen Z can do today to decrease anxiety and be more productive

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Nearly two decades into the smartphone era, some experts are warning of the potential dangers of being plugged in anytime, anywhere. Especially when it comes to those whose brains are still developing. Americans under the age of 30 reported lower levels of happiness from 2021 to 2023 than those over the age of 60, according to this year's World Happiness Report. Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist at New York University's Stern School of Business lays the blame squarely on our devices. His new book, "The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness" he argues that the constant access to social media that phones have given us has led to social comparison, sleep deprivation and loneliness in Gen Z. And it's touched a nerve: his book is currently No. 3 on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list. Zach Rausch, lead researcher to Haidt and an associate research scientist at NYU-Stern School of Business, says kids who had access to social media and iPhones in elementary and middle school are more anxious and less productive. "The goal of technology is that it's a tool that we use to meet our goals," he says. "If it's not doing that, it ends up using us at the cost of our goals." But, there are ways to curb these negative effects. Here are three things you can do today to increase your happiness and stay focused.