Young Adults Are Lonelier Than Ever, Even When They’re Surrounded by Friends (Says Study)

If you’re parenting a teen or young adult right now, this might feel confusing. Your child seems busy, social, and constantly connected, and yet, they still say they feel lonely.

According to a recent article published by PsyPost, young adults report some of the highest levels of loneliness of any age group, despite having larger social networks than older adults. The findings come from a study published in the journal PLOS One, which analyzed survey data from nearly 5,000 Americans across different age groups. According to the researchers, young adults tend to report more friends and social interactions than older adults, but also higher levels of loneliness. In other words, being surrounded by people doesn’t necessarily protect against feeling disconnected.

Older adults, by contrast, reported fewer social ties overall but significantly lower loneliness. According to the study’s authors, the difference isn’t the size of someone’s social circle; it’s whether those relationships feel meaningful and emotionally supportive.

READ MORE: AI Chatbots Are Becoming Teens’ Secret Therapists, But New Research Is Utterly Terrifying 

Why “Having Friends” Isn’t the Same as Feeling Connected

For parents, this research helps explain something many of us are already seeing at home. Today’s teens and young adults are almost never truly offline. They’re texting, snapping, posting, gaming, and group-chatting constantly. But according to the researchers, social contact alone doesn’t equal emotional closeness.

According to the PLOS One study summarized by PsyPost, loneliness is more strongly tied to how supported and understood someone feels than to how many people they interact with regularly. This is especially true during young adulthood, a period marked by rapid change and instability.

As we’ve learned from speaking with our SheKnows Teen Council, young people today are navigating major transitions:  graduating, moving away, starting jobs, ending friendships, forming new identities… And this is often without the consistent social structures that existed earlier in childhood. According to broader research on loneliness and aging, this kind of instability can intensify feelings of isolation even when someone appears socially active on the surface.

Social media can also complicate things. According to multiple studies on digital behavior and mental health, passive social media use (think: scrolling without meaningful interaction) can increase feelings of loneliness, particularly when online connection replaces deeper, in-person relationships.

What This Means for Parents of Tweens, Teens, and Young Adults

For parents, the takeaway isn’t that your child needs more friends or more activities. Research tells us that loneliness isn’t a failure of social effort; it’s a signal that someone is craving depth, safety, and real connection.

This matters because loneliness doesn’t always look like sadness. In teens and young adults, it can show up as irritability, withdrawal, anxiety, or a sense of numbness. A child might say they’re “fine” while quietly feeling unseen or unsupported.

According to the World Health Organization, chronic loneliness is linked not only to mental health concerns like anxiety and depression, but also to long-term physical health risks. The WHO now considers social connection a key factor in overall health and longevity.

That makes early awareness especially important for parents. When young people learn that loneliness is a normal human experience—not a personal flaw—they’re more likely to talk about it and seek support.

READ MORE: Parents Think Teens Are Just Scrolling — Gen Z Says They’re Studying Authenticity

The Bigger Picture

If your teen or young adult seems socially busy but emotionally distant, you’re not imagining it. These studies show that the paradox is increasingly common, and it reflects broader cultural shifts in how relationships are formed and maintained.

For parents, the most helpful response isn’t pushing more socialization or dismissing those feelings because “they have plenty of friends.” It’s creating space for honest conversations, modeling emotionally meaningful relationships at home, and reminding kids that loneliness doesn’t mean something is wrong with them.

The PLOS One study reveals the goal isn’t more connection, it’s better connection. And sometimes, one relationship where a young person feels fully seen matters more than a hundred casual ones.