health
Even College Students Have Stopped Hanging Out
This article was featured in the One Story to Read Today newsletter. Sign up for it here.
TL;DR
- College students are experiencing increased rates of loneliness, with less time spent socializing and more reporting feelings of isolation.
- Factors contributing to this trend include the widespread use of smartphones and social media, which reduce face-to-face interaction.
- Extracurricular activities have shifted from social opportunities to resume-building pursuits, further impacting social connections.
- The COVID-19 pandemic has had a lasting effect, stunting social development for students who missed crucial in-person interaction periods.
- University operations have adapted with more remote courses, reducing spontaneous social encounters on campus.
- Students may be more inclined to label their feelings of disconnection as loneliness due to increased psychological literacy.
- Universities are implementing creative solutions like redesigning campus spaces to encourage encounters and teaching social skills.
- While loneliness rates are showing a slight decline towards pre-pandemic levels, they remain significantly high.