According to a new report from Swinburne University and VicHealth, among 18 to 25 year olds, 35% say they feel lonely three or more times a week.
Teens aged 12 to 17 had better results, with 13% feeling lonely three or more times a week.
Adulthood can be a lonely time
Any of us can experience loneliness at any point in our lives, but it is often triggered by important events – both positive (like becoming parents for the first time, getting a new job).
Young people in high school may be used to loneliness because they are surrounded by peers.
During the transition to independence, young people begin to become aware of social connections, including friends, colleagues of many ages… Learning to manage these different relationships requires
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Is social media a major cause of loneliness?
Dependence on social media for communication is often cited as a cause of loneliness in young people.
In the age of technology, social media can be used to replace offline relationships with online relationships and provide new opportunities.
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Is loneliness a cause or a consequence of poor mental health?
Loneliness is harmful to our physical and mental health.
While lonely people are motivated to connect with people, they are also more likely to experience social interactions as stressful.
When lonely people are socially connected, they are more likely to engage in self-defeating actions, such as being less cooperative and expressing more negative emotions.
Lonely people tend to distrust others or not live up to specific social expectations and believe they are evaluated more negatively than they actually are.
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What can we do?
One way to address this loneliness is to help young people think more positively about relationships and know how to influence others through their own emotions and behavior.
Parents, teachers, etc. can play a role in educating children and adolescents about the importance of social connections.
+ Advise them to eliminate unhelpful thoughts or negative views about others.
+ Help young people identify their strengths and use them to create strong, meaningful relationships.
+ Educational programs should offer ways to uplift young people, and these discussions can be integrated into health education classes.
+ In addition, because young people are capable and use technology regularly, digital tools will be developed to overcome loneliness.
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However, no matter what the solution is, their foundation is still normalizing the feeling of loneliness because it is not a weakness but an innate need that promotes human connection.