Loneliness epidemic hits Aussies like never before

New data shows Australians are feeling more disconnected and lonely than ever before.

An Omnipoll survey of around 1200 Australians found that the average amount of friends people have has halved in 13 years.

Relationships Australia has described it as a “loneliness crisis”.

The results also show we have less contact with our neighbours than a decade ago.

Nick McCallum questioned on 3AW Drive whether the emergence of social media played a part in the loneliness epidemic.

But Jocelyn Brewer, a psychologist and creator of Digital Nutrition, said while she wasn’t surprised by the results, she didn’t believe technology or social media caused that disconnect.

“Absolutely technology has exploded but so has the change to the way we live in apartments, the way we look after the kids and don’t let them roam in the streets,” she said.

“Just because we are more lonely and there’s more technology, it’s not a direct causation effect.

“I think a lot of us have moved away from posting (online).

“We are actually stepping back from our use of social media, and correcting what we are doing that and recognising it hasn’t helped us be more connected.”

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