Loneliness

[Anonymous]

Why more young adults from 15-35 feel lonely? Is it happening or just getting written articles about?

[Anonymous]

It's the phones, of course, and social media. My 19 yo dd has several twitter friends, but struggles for local friends. She is lonely.

[Anonymous]

I am 27 years old, I feel lonely because I work from home, and don't really get to talk to anyone doing the day. I miss my job at Starbucks, where I talked all day. The problem is the pay. I was making give and take 20k and now I am making 60k.....

[Anonymous]

Work from from has taken away socialization factor which causes feeling of loneliness. Same for people who move for work and leave family and friends behind.

[Anonymous]

For 15-18 y/o’s, Covid stunted their social development

[Anonymous]

Yes to all the factors mentioned above. Pandemic restrictions had a huge impact on teens and young adults. Both high school and college classes were remote, limiting their social circle and interpersonal interactions. Remote work created isolation which particularly impacted young adults. While I love remote work as a married middle-aged mother who has teens still at home, my professional 25-year-old son, who had recently started working in a new place following grad school, struggled with remote work and pandemic restrictions. There was minimal workplace interaction, the office cafeteria was closed, and few people wanted to socialize indoors, which made it hard to meet people.

Many in this age group developed or experienced worsened social anxiety after being out of practice interacting with others. While online communication has some value, meeting new people in person is an entirely different animal. I think it was hardest on those transitioning to high school, college, or the workplace. Too often, being lonely feels like a personal failure, a view that is promoted on social media ("only those who were mentally ill before the pandemic are struggling" or "the pandemic has been over for two years, stop obsessing about it"). Mental health professionals are finding that overcoming these issues was not as simple as returning to "normal life."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For 15-18 y/o’s, Covid stunted their social development

Social media has stunted the social & emotional development of an entire generation--and it is getting worse.