Study: 
Smartphones Make Teens Lonelier at School Because They Isolate Young People from their Friends

It seems smartphones are actually making teenagers lonelier than they used to be. San Diego State University researchers found that by 2018, 33-percent of UK teens, ages 15 and 16, reported feeling isolated.  That’s way up (triple!) from 10-percent, who said the same in 2000.

Study authors note that social media, in particular, is having a negative effect on teens, as it may heighten feelings of missing out (FOMO – Fear Of Missing Out), or lead to cyberbullying.

Researchers note that negative feelings increased more among girls than boys, over the course of the study; and that adolescent well-being “began to decline after 2012, in conjunction with the rise of smartphone access.”

Pandemic lockdown isolation at home sure didn’t help.

Still, while there’s a strong correlation between smartphones and loneliness, the study could not prove smartphone use causes loneliness.  It sure seems to aggravate it to serious levels.

Learn more, here:  (Daily Mail)

  • An 18-year study finds 15-and-16-year-olds in the UK have reported feeling more and more lonely since the year 2000, and that adolescent wellbeing “began to decline after 2012, in conjunction with the rise of smartphone access”
  • Researcher believe social media in particular is having a negative impact on teens:  Cyberbullying & FOMO

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