Author: Hannah Weickhardt
Introduction
Most 18–24 year-olds are not lonely; however, for those who are the rate of loneliness is on the increase. Given this trend the UK, Japan, US, Sweden and Denmark are among the countries that have put loneliness on the national agenda and are seeking to develop public policy responses.
A key factor in understanding loneliness in young adults has to do with disengagement. This is not a problem unique to young people; but disengagement does make young people particularly susceptible to loneliness. The most significant factors driving disengagement are: screen time and digital life; foregoing possibilities for engagement in community; little opportunity for forming connections in employment and study; changes in home life; and, of course, the impact of the COVID pandemic. One Australian study observed that within the 12–25 year-old age bracket, 18–21 year-olds were perceived as having the lowest quality of life, with females suffering the most.26 Being a young adult is a peak time for loneliness;i but loneliness is not so much about being a certain age as about the combination of factors you are exposed to as a young adult.
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