The Loneliness Epidemic Among Teenagers
During the summer, Laura Marciano, a researcher from Harvard University, conducted a fascinating study involving interviews with 500 teenagers to explore the intricate relationship between technology use and feelings of loneliness. The findings were quite revealing.
Over several weeks, these teenagers—recruited with the assistance of popular Instagram influencers—participated in a daily questionnaire that assessed their social interactions three times a day. Astonishingly, over 50 percent of them reported that they had not engaged in any conversation, whether face-to-face or online, in the past hour. This suggests a troubling trend: despite being on summer break and having ample access to social media platforms, many teenagers were not socializing at all.
The broader context is equally concerning. In the past two decades, Americans have experienced a marked increase in solitary living, a decline in close friendships, and a growing sense of social detachment from their communities. Alarmingly, one in two adults acknowledges feeling lonely, a condition characterized by the emotional distress arising from social isolation. The U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, labeled loneliness as an epidemic late last year, prompting a wave of research aimed at understanding its roots.
In the wake of this declaration, scholars and psychologists have intensified their investigations into the role of technology in exacerbating loneliness. The advent of smartphones and social networking applications has fundamentally transformed social interaction norms. Traditional forms of communication, such as phone calls, have largely been replaced by text messages, which often lack emotional depth. Moreover, as people curate their lives on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, they may present an inauthentic version of themselves.
Dr. Murthy expressed, “It’s hard to know who’s being real online, and it’s hard for people to be themselves online, and that is a recipe for loneliness.” His conclusion that loneliness has become an epidemic stemmed from an extensive review of scientific studies and discussions with college students throughout the previous year.
