Loneliness should be treated as a social issue

The Star

24-05-2025

Society-wide solution: Rather than placing all responsibility on a person suffering from loneliness, we need to look at societal solutions, which offer broader and more sustainable impact. — 123rf
ANYONE who has experienced loneliness knows how deeply personal it feels. We feel lonely when our social and emotional needs aren't being met. Because of this, psychological research often focuses on individual-level solutions, encouraging people to change their perceptions or behaviour through therapy. But this focus misses the heart of the issue: the absence of meaningful connection with others.
It's right to be concerned about high rates of loneliness among young people, especially given the negative impact of severe loneliness on physical and mental health. Some argue that technology is to blame and point to increased time spent on mobile phones or social media.
While studies do show that higher Internet use is linked to greater loneliness, the direction of this relationship remains unclear. Are young people lonely because they're online, or online because they feel lonely?
The Internet is not devoid of social interaction. In fact, studies suggest that young people's online activities often mirror their offline behaviour, especially when it comes to seeking connection and communicating with friends. This complicates the idea that technology alone is to blame for feelings of loneliness.
Rather than placing all responsibility on a person suffering from loneliness, we need to look at societal solutions. This doesn't mean psychological interventions have no value. Therapies like cognitive behavioural therapy or social skills training can be effective for some, particularly in cases of severe loneliness.
But these approaches aren't universally successful. They're expensive, require trained professionals, and any resulting improvements are often short-lived.
Societal solutions, by contrast, offer broader and more sustainable impact. These can be thought of in two main ways: Creating spaces for meaningful social connection and addressing the root societal conditions that lead to loneliness.
While loneliness is a subjective experience, social connection is more tangible. It's reflected in whether we have people we can rely on, whether we feel sup-ported, and the quality of our relationships. In this sense, social connection can be an antidote to loneliness.
But opportunities for connection are shrinking. In Britain, for example, hundreds of millions of pounds have been cut from youth services and half of all youth clubs closed between 2011 and 2021. At the same time, a global cost of living crisis has left many young people – even those in full-time work – with little or no money left at the end of the month.
Meanwhile, 'third spaces' – places outside of home, school, or work where people can connect – are disappearing. Cafés and bars are often too expensive, while public libraries and community spaces are under­funded and closing rapidly. In this context, it's no surprise that young people are spending more time socialising online: There are simply fewer affordable and accessible places to connect in person.
Taking a societal approach also means acknowledging the inequalities that shape how loneliness is experienced. We're not just individuals making isolated choices: We're part of communities and systems. And for many, structural issues like marginalisation and discrimi-nation play a role in their experience of loneliness.
Young people from margina­lised backgrounds, including those from lower-income families, are at significantly higher risk of loneliness. Researc-hers argue that exclusion and discrimination – not indivi­dual deficits – are contributing to this.
That's why some are calling for us to understand the causes of loneliness at every level – from personal traits and societal attitudes to the design of neighbourhoods and communities.
If we want to reduce loneliness in young people, we need to go beyond telling them to seek therapy or use their phones less. We need public investment in spaces that foster connection, and we must address the broader structural issues that make some young people especially vulnerable. Focusing only on the lonely individual won't be enough, especially for those facing the deepest barriers to belonging. – The Conversation
Kathryn Bates is a research fellow in psychology at King's College London. This article was first published in The Conversation