Even with social media, teens can feel lonely
By Jayne O'Donnell, USA Today, adapted by Newsela staff Spending time online with friends can lead teens to loneliness. Even those who mix real-world socializing with social media feel increasingly lonely. This says a report from March 20. Loneliness is not just a matter of age. It's generational, says study author Jean Twenge. She works at San Diego State University in California. The percentage of high school seniors who said they often felt lonely increased from 26 percent in 2012 to 39 percent in 2017. The number of seniors who said they often felt left out too increase. The number increased from 30 percent in 2012 to 38 percent in 2017. The study was published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. This is based on the results of surveys of 8.2 million American adolescents between 1976 and 2017. The issue of loneliness has received more attention from healthcare workers. It is related to health in general.
We can feel lonely on social media
The increase in loneliness could be due to the way teens spend their free time, Twenge says. They go out less compared to teens of previous decades. Generation Z is less likely to meet friends in person, go to parties, hang out with friends, drive a car, go to the malls or go to the movies, the teacher reported. Those born after 1995 are called Generation Z. Rebecca Agnello of Grand Island, New York, was "suffering alone" when she died by suicide in December 2015. It is called suicide when a person voluntarily takes their own life. Rebecca was 14 years old. Her father, Rob, says there is no single cause that led to her daughter taking her own life. Although he believes that social media played an important role. "With social media there is an appearance of being close, but we spend a lot of time alone," he says. Rebecca had a good group of friends. She would sit with her phone and it was painful for people to ignore her, says Agnello. Doctors can help those who are thinking about suicide. The problem is that not everyone seeks help.
Nick Jonas Says He Was Lucky
Musician Nick Jonas is a spokesperson on the dangers of social isolation for the Cigna insurance company. He said balancing diabetes with the challenges of his new solo career several years ago was difficult. But being in company helped him. "I was very lucky to have my brothers, my family and the family on tour," Jonas said. "I never felt that real lonely feeling." Social media can be helpful, says Jonas. But, sometimes they can lead to isolation. Today's high school seniors spend at least an hour less a day with their friends than teens in the 1980s. Sometimes it is less. Twenge says that teens' isolation isn't caused by spending more time on work or homework. Data shows teens now spend less time in paid work than they did in the 1980s and 1990s. And they spend about the same amount of time or less than they did on homework and school activities. Others disagree. They believe that students have more homework today than they did in recent years.
We Must Connect Personally with Friends Cigna's
annual global wellness survey reports that US millennials seem to spend more time on their smartphone and gaming than meeting their friends. Millennials are those who are currently 25 to 34 years old.
