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Study Links More 'Stranger' Social Media Ties to Higher Loneliness in U.S. Adults

Authors say the results show association, not cause.

Feeling lonely? An offline interaction with a friend can go a long way toward easing that sentiment.
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Overview

  • The peer-reviewed study, published Wednesday in Public Health Reports, finds that adults who have a larger share of social media contacts they have never met in person report higher loneliness.
  • Online contact with people participants already knew did not make them feel less lonely and was not linked to more loneliness.
  • The survey of more than 1,500 Americans ages 30 to 70 found that about 35% of their social media contacts were people they had never met face to face.
  • Because the research used a single survey in time, it cannot tell whether loneliness drives people to connect with more strangers or whether those connections raise loneliness.
  • Researchers advise prioritizing in-person activities, citing a 2023 Surgeon General report that widespread loneliness harms health and raises risks for depression, heart disease, stroke, dementia, and early death.