Loneliness in the Digital World

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Loneliness in the Digital World

By Dr Zhuoni Xiao, Research Fellow, and Sarah Robertson, Youth Engagement Lead, on behalf of the Loneliness in the Digital World team, Generation Scotland.

Loneliness and Social Interaction

Loneliness has been identified as an important public health issue, peaking during adolescence (Park et al., 2020).

Previous research has suggested that social interaction is a key factor in loneliness, and positive social interaction can act as a protective factor against loneliness (Osborn, Weatherburn, & French, 2021).

Looking at the influence of the online environment, we can see that smartphone and social media usage are pervasive among adolescents, comprising most of their total screen time (OfCom, 2022). Evidence on whether the amount of time young people spend online affects mental health is mixed. Indeed, there may be both risks and benefits (Kardefelt-Winther et al., 2020).

Some studies have suggested that the increase in social media use is linked to an increase in loneliness and mental illness (Twenge, Spitzberg, & Campbell, 2019); however, others have suggested no meaningful associations (Jensen et al., 2019), and some of the young people involved in our advisory group stated that they have developed new friendships through digital platforms.

About the Loneliness project

The Loneliness in the Digital World is a smartphone-based study which aims to explore how various types of social interaction, both positive and negative, in-person and online, impact loneliness and mental health in young people aged 12 – 15. It is embedded within Generation Scotland, which is funded by the Medical Research Council and led by Professor Heather Whalley.

How young people can get involved

Young people living in Scotland aged between 12 and 15 years old can take part by joining Generation Scotland. They will then be sent information about the study. Participants will be asked to complete an online survey, which is less than ten minutes, and download an app for the smartphone study. They will complete four short surveys (each less than one minute) each day, lasting two weeks.

After completion, they will receive a £20 Amazon e-voucher and a thank you card as compensation for their time. Watch our ‘Welcome to the Loneliness in the Digital World Project’ video for more information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMx9-IB9Tao

Follow the instructions on How to Join the Loneliness Study

What is Generation Scotland?

Generation Scotland is the largest family health study investigating the health and well-being of individuals in Scotland since recruiting our first volunteers in 2006. We have made significant progress. Today, we have over 36,000 volunteers from across Scotland. We dedicate considerable effort to assisting scientists in studying important factors that contribute to our health and happiness, including mental health, dementia, cancer, chronic pain, the genetics of disease, and various other topics. NHS Scotland is one of many collaborating organisations working closely with us, including four Scottish universities: the University of Edinburgh, Dundee, Glasgow, and Aberdeen.

Watch our ‘What is Generation Scotland’ video for more information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoFgQNXDmU4

Follow the instructions to Join Generation Scotland

About the YPAG

The Loneliness in the Digital World project is co-produced with a group of young people – our Young Person Advisory Group (YPAG). Our YPAG helped us shape and design the project, pilot it and give feedback. Six YPAG meetings were held, and major changes were implemented based on their input to the protocol. For instance, young people suggested that not all digital interaction is negative, they advised on current digital platforms, frequency and timings of app notifications, the £20 compensation and they made sure that the app is functional, but also FUN!