14/08/2026
Co-Director of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research’s Child & Brain Development Program, Candice Odgers’ endorsement highlights why Kids These Days matters now, as we live in a time of simplistic public narratives about why kids are struggling. We reject the easy (and often harmful) idea that young people are simply “the problem,” and instead call on us adults to share responsibility for the conditions in which youth are growing up.
"Kids These Days cautions the “adults in the room” against blaming the next generation and instead invites all of us to support young people as they navigate an increasingly complex world. Rather than offering simplistic solutions destined to fall short, the book provides thoughtful, deeply informed insight into the opportunities and risks that youth and adults must face together to build healthier brains, bodies, and relationships." —Candice L. Odgers, Chancellor’s Professor and Associate Dean; Professor of Psychology and Informatics, University of California, Irvine; Co-Director, Child & Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
At a time when public discussion often frames adolescents through anxiety, technology use, behavior problems, or generational decline, this endorsement makes a crucial point: young people do not develop in isolation from their environment. Their wellbeing is shaped by families, schools, communities, institutions, social conditions, and the choices adults make.
Kids These Days refuses to offer the quick fix many bestsellers do. There aren't 4 norms, 10 rules, or 7 habits. Instead, it encourages a more humane and evidence-informed response. We take young people seriously, recognize their strengths and vulnerabilities, and treat youth mental health as a shared social responsibility rather than a problem to be assigned solely to youth.
