The Coddling of the American Mind

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The Coddling of the American Mind

2024

1h 33m

Documentary

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6 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

In 2012, anxiety, depression, and suicide rates among young adults began to rise dramatically, and nobody knew why. THE CODDLING OF THE AMERICAN MIND, based on The New York Times bestselling book by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, explores the Gen Z mental health crisis through the intertwined stories of five remarkable 20-somethings, including Kimi, a Ugandan immigrant, and Lucy, a former psych ward patient struggling with various mental health challenges. As they enter college, their bright futures are soon overshadowed by fear and despair. They're full of promise as they enter college, but the teens quickly succumb to paranoia and misery. Lucy is convinced people want to kill her simply because she's autistic. Kimi is on the brink of homelessness. From filmmakers Ted Balaker and Courtney Moorehead Balaker (LITTLE PINK HOUSE, CAN WE TAKE A JOKE?), THE CODDLING OF THE AMERICAN MIND explores a global mental-health crisis that threatens an entire generation.

Linda Cook

OurQuadCities / WHBF-TV (Illinois)

Jan 21, 2026

3 stars

Regardless of where you stand, this thought-provoking film is worth seeing.

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Philip Martin

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Dec 3, 2025

87/100

There's empathy here, even if yoked to a polemic... The film prods us to ask uncomfortable questions about resilience, about whether we are, in our zeal to protect, leaving young people less prepared for life's inevitable abrasions.

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Christian Toto

HollywoodInToto.com

Aug 13, 2025

3.5/4

College students detail behind-the-scenes DEI indoctrination, recovery in blistering documentary.

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Tara McNamara

Common Sense Media

Apr 30, 2025

The film's overall suggestion is that we relax and look at the intent in others' comments, yet this may very well be an example in which the intent was positive.

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Ethan Padgett

Film Threat

Apr 8, 2025

10/10

The Coddling of the American Mind is a self-reflective humanist piece while shaping a brighter future for the next generation of Americans.

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Stephen Silver

The SS Ben Hecht

Nov 8, 2024

These people have a point about some things, but the backlash has been much stronger than the original movement, and the film ultimately amounts to a jeremaid against a political tendency that’s already fallen out of favor.

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Ruth G

@RT07851388 Nov 12, 2024

Our family attended a live screening of The Coddling of the American Mind put on by our local university. The film was followed by a refreshingly open discussion, which was neither critical nor fawning, and left viewers expressing a sense of hope that people from across the political spectrum can find common ground. This documentary is a must see if you have teenagers or college-aged kids and opens a pathway for healthy, heterodox, and honest discussion!

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Ted Balaker

Director

Jonathan Haidt

Self

Greg Lukianoff

Self

Ted Balaker

Writer

Ted Balaker

Producer

Courtney Balaker

Producer

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Synopsis

In 2012, anxiety, depression, and suicide rates among young adults began to rise dramatically, and nobody knew why. THE CODDLING OF THE AMERICAN MIND, based on The New York Times bestselling book by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, explores the Gen Z mental health crisis through the intertwined stories of five remarkable 20-somethings, including Kimi, a Ugandan immigrant, and Lucy, a former psych ward patient struggling with various mental health challenges. As they enter college, their bright futures are soon overshadowed by fear and despair. They're full of promise as they enter college, but the teens quickly succumb to paranoia and misery. Lucy is convinced people want to kill her simply because she's autistic. Kimi is on the brink of homelessness. From filmmakers Ted Balaker and Courtney Moorehead Balaker (LITTLE PINK HOUSE, CAN WE TAKE A JOKE?), THE CODDLING OF THE AMERICAN MIND explores a global mental-health crisis that threatens an entire generation.

Director: Ted Balaker
Producer: Ted Balaker, Courtney Balaker
Screenwriter: Ted Balaker
Distributor: Korchula Productions
Production Co: Korchula Productions
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 17, 2024
Runtime: 1h 33m

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