November 2024
The Young People and Loneliness Report, led by Orygen and Ending Loneliness Together, addresses the rising rates of loneliness in young people, which have seen those aged 15-24 become the loneliest age group in the country.
Life transitions and the digitalisation of social interactions have been identified as two key factors contributing to rising rates of loneliness in young people, with a new report from Orygen offering policy options to tackle increasing loneliness and foster greater social connection.
Research from headspace in 2022 found 60 per cent of young people lacked companionship often or some of the time (up from 54 per cent in 2020) and 62 per cent felt left out often or some of the time (up from 47 per cent in 2020).
Lead author of the report and Policy Analyst from Orygen, Rikki Morgan, said while social media was often the focus of discussions around young people’s mental health, the rapid digitalisation of communication in other areas of life meant many young people had fewer opportunities to practice their social skills or have incidental interactions – with education, work, shopping and health appointments now often taking place online.
“Young people are telling us they have fewer opportunities for social connection and that the decline in direct, in-person communication is reducing the quality, not only of their social interactions, but of their overall engagement and participation with activities,” Morgan said.
“Rather than singling out social media, which can be an important way to foster social connections, it’s important we consider how other digital devices and tools have altered the ways young people interact with their families, friends, peers, colleagues, and communities.
“It’s also important to recognise that emerging adulthood involves major life transitions such as leaving secondary school, starting further education or entering the workforce, and we need to educate young people about these changes and equip them with the social connection skills to help navigate them.”
Associate Professor Michelle Lim, CEO and Scientific Chair at Ending Loneliness Together, said that the high prevalence of loneliness in young people is a concern, and that loneliness is linked to a wide range of negative health and social outcomes.
“At least 40 per cent of young people report persistent levels of loneliness and this means that once a young person becomes lonely, they stay lonely – loneliness has detrimental consequences on mortality risk and health outcomes,” Associate Professor Lim said.
“In the past we associated loneliness with old age, but now young people are the loneliest age group, and we urgently need more research to understand this, and more strategies to support young people to feel connected.”
Rikki Morgan said that loneliness was a global issue, and had been identified as a global health priority by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
“Loneliness is not the same as choosing to spend time alone – loneliness is an unchosen situation, where people perceive their social relationships to be inadequate in terms of quality, quantity, or both,” Morgan said.
“Loneliness is a strong predictor of a range of mental health symptoms and diagnoses, including social anxiety, depression, psychological distress and suicidality.
“Social connection is key to overcoming the challenge of loneliness and we need a whole-of-government approach to embed social connection into all policies that shape the way young people live, learn, work, and engage with their communities.”
Recommendations in the report include prevention strategies and interventions at both the individual and the societal level, including increased funding for community-based activities that strengthen social connection, more research to understand young people’s experiences of loneliness, and trialing social prescribing models.
The report also calls for a ‘Minister for Loneliness’, an innovative policy approach that has seen the UK and Japan appoint government ministers for loneliness to increase leadership, coordination and accountability around this vital issue.
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