The study followed nearly 7,000 Dutch adults for almost a decade and found that both passive and active social media use were associated with increased loneliness. Lonely people turned to social media hoping to feel less alone, but the time online made those feelings stronger, creating a feedback loop, according to the research. The findings come amid a broader debate about loneliness.
A 2023 Surgeon General’s report stated that about half of American adults feel lonely and that being socially disconnected is as harmful to health as smoking up to 15 cigarettes per day. However, some researchers argue that this oversimplified narrative is wrong and unhelpful, potentially causing unnecessary alarm. Other studies support the link between social media and loneliness.
A study published in Public Health Reports found that adults with a greater percentage of social media connections they had never met in person were lonelier. com, Dr. Brian Primack, a professor of public health at Oregon State University, described social media connections as insufficient for real-life support, noting that connecting with more close friends on social media did not make people less lonely.
Robin Dunbar's research suggests that Facebook friends are no substitute for real-life friendships, and that with 150 Facebook friends, one can likely only count on about four in a crisis.