In a recent study in PLoS One, researchers examined how birth cohort, time period, and age shape the time that people spend alone when social media and smartphone use are widespread.
Their findings show that social isolation has increased sharply over the past two decades, accelerating since the mid-2010s. However, smartphones alone cannot explain these changes, with generational differences and aging contributing to isolation.
Background
The U.S. Surgeon General described isolation and loneliness as a national epidemic in 2023, pointing to online entertainment, remote work, smartphones, and social media as contributing factors. While these technologies allow new ways to stay connected, critics argue they reduce face-to-face connections and weaken real-world support networks.
Evidence cited for rising isolation often comes from time-trend studies, such as the American Time Use Survey (ATUS), which shows a steady rise in the time that people spend alone since 2003. However, these analyses may confuse three separate influences: age (isolation tends to rise later in life), period (broad societal changes such as new technologies), and cohort (differences between generations)
