Social media sites make users feel lonely, scientists claim

More than two hours of social media use per day doubles the chances of feeling isolated
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Tom Powell6 March 2017

Social media sites including Facebook and Twitter are causing users to feel more alone, psychologists have claimed.

Young adults who spend a lot of time on such sites are more likely to feel cut off from the world, according to a new study.

Researchers found that more than two hours of social media use each day doubles the chances of feeling isolated.

The study quizzed almost 1,800 adults aged 19 to 32 about their use of the 11 most popular social media sites - Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Google Plus, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit, Tumblr, Pinterest, Vine and LinkedIn – when the research was conducted in 2014.

People who visited the sites more than 58 times a week were found to be three times more at risk of experiencing loneliness than those who logged on fewer than nine times per week.

Lead scientist Professor Brian Primack, from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, said: "We are inherently social creatures, but modern life tends to compartmentalise us instead of bringing us together.

"While it may seem that social media presents opportunities to fill that social void, I think this study suggests that it may not be the solution people were hoping for."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT