Abusive use of social networks and loneliness go hand in hand, confirms a study with young people

This Monday, the Journal of American College Health presents the conclusions of research based on the analysis of surveys conducted with 64,988 young people between 18 and 24 years old from more than 120 American universities.

The researchers, from the North American universities of Cincinnati and Indiana, asked students how many hours they spend on social networks in a typical week, while also investigating the feeling of loneliness by asking them how often they felt excluded, lacked company or considered themselves isolated.

The abusive use of networks and the Internet was determined at more than 16 hours per week, taking into account the consideration that had already been made in previous studies.

The analysis of the results indicates that the more they used the networks, the lonelier the young people confessed they felt. So, Those who use the networks at least 30 hours a week are 38% more likely to report loneliness compared to those who use them less than 16 hours a week.

Between 26 and 30 hours a week are associated with a 34% higher risk of loneliness; between 9 and 25 hours with 23% more; between 16 and 20 hours with 19% more; and at least 16 hours per week with 13% more compared to those who do not reach that use threshold.

Of the 64,988 young people surveyed, 54% said they felt lonely, which coincides with other recent research carried out in the United States.

Female and black students are the ones who report feeling the most isolation and exclusion.

Interestingly, students who pursue their degrees in a hybrid way (half in-person and half online) say they feel less alone, which the authors attribute to the fact that they have more time to see their old friends.

In addition, those who live on campus are less likely to feel lonely than those who are at home, which researchers attribute to the possibility of having more social contact in person, through living together, attending meetings and/or parties.

“We know that people who feel lonely are more likely to suffer from depression, and are at greater risk of dying prematurely.”says one of the authors, Madelyn Hill, currently at Ohio University.

“These results underscore how widespread loneliness is among college students and highlight that excessive use of social media may be replacing meaningful personal interactions that protect their mental health,” says another author, Ashley Merianos, of the University of Cincinnati, in a statement.

“A key public health strategy to combat this loneliness epidemic is to strengthen social connections and help students build supportive relationships with their peers beyond the internet,” says Merianos.

The authors consider that young people should receive more information about the potential harmful effects of using social networks, and educational institutions should encourage them to establish time limits for their use.