Triple J Hack
One in two young people experience loneliness
Loneliness is the subjective experience of social isolation, that is, it's a self-reported feeling. So people can feel lonely while surrounded by other people, while others feel perfectly content on their own.
Loneliness isn't a mental health disorder in its own right, but has been linked to depression, anxiety and mood disorders.
"Lonelier young people are more likely to experience social anxiety and depressive symptoms than those who are less lonely. They are also more likely to report negative affect (negative mood states) and use unhelpful emotional coping strategies," a report by the Victorian Department of Health said.
It also has links to poorer physical health outcomes, including premature death.
Loneliness has been a problem in Australia for a long time, and young people are among the groups most likely to experience it. Young men are more likely to experience loneliness compared to women.
According to a survey by mental health organisation Headspace from June this year, more than half of all young people (54 per cent) reported feeling lonely. That's up from 49 per cent in 2018.
Technology offers part of a solution
Connecting with people can be tough if you don't have a network around you, as Rachael found out last year.
"We developed OnlyFriends to really try to help people to get them to create meaningful connections," co-founder Tamara Sheeran told Hack.
"Last month alone, the biggest suicide support line in the country [Lifeline] recorded its highest number of calls in history. This trend just keeps on going up and up."
Tamara Sheeran said the point was to get people offline and meeting IRL.
"There's a map feature which helps people to find people in their local area. Or alternatively, as so many of us are in lockdown, that you're able to have virtual catch ups or virtual group chats," she explained.
"We are going to be out of lockdowns one day. So our vision and mission is to be able to help people to facilitate the connections now. So as soon as we're out of lockdown, we're able to all get together and have fun again," Tamara Sheeran said.
Read the full story here.