A study carried out by experts at The University of Queensland in Australia, found teens felt less lonely than two decades ago – but that they have poorer social networks.

 

A survey of more than 285,000 US high school students carried out between 1991 and 2012 found young people had fewer friends with whom to interact², but less desire for more friends.

 

The Globe and Mail quotes the findings of research, printed in the Personality and Social Psychology³ Bulletin⁴, which suggests economic changes may have prompted increased individuality among young people. 

 

The authors behind the study, wrote: 'Greater economic opportunities offer individuals more latitude⁵ to manage their own money, decide whom to date and decide whom to marry, reducing the influence of kin⁶ and giving people more autonomy⁷, which may increase individualism.

 

'Economic changes lead to increased individuality, which could lead to decreasing interest in friends, increasing self-reliance, increasing self-esteem and decreasing loneliness.'

 

Lead researcher, Dr David Clark said further research on cultures outside of the US would help determine if modernisation is the root cause of the observed results.

 

He said: 'If other cultures show the same pattern of reduced loneliness in the face of poorer social networks, this would support the idea that modernisation is responsible.'

 

The findings come after a series of studies have shown that the growing use of social networking sites has had a negative affect on the quality of people's friendships.

 

A study from 2006 by sociologists at Duke University also showed that on average most adults only have two people they can talk to about the most important subjects in their lives while one quarter had no close confidants at all.

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