Teen loneliness increased alongside emergence of smartphones, study suggests

Teen loneliness, particularly among adolescent girls, has been increasing worldwide since 2012, which researchers said also coincides with the rise in smartphone access and increased internet use, although more data is needed to determine a definitive link.

The questionnaire included topics like "I feel like an outsider (or left out of things) at school," "I make friends easily at school," "I feel like I belong at school," "I feel awkward and out of place in my school," "Other students seem to like me," and "I feel lonely at school." Students were instructed to reply on a scale of 1-4 with the following choices; strongly disagree, disagree, strongly agree, and agree. Responses were added together and divided by six to calculate a mean score.  In 2012, 2015 and 2018, 31 countries added questions pertaining to use of technology and availability at home. Students were also asked about their overall general life satisfaction. The data correlated to an increase in school loneliness between 2000 and 2018, with nearly all of the increase occurring between 2012 and 2018, according to the researchers.