LONELINESS IN A CONNECTED WORLD: WHY DO YOUNG PEOPLE FEEL ALONE?

Although young people today are the most digitally connected generation in history, international data show that they are also among the loneliest. This article examines the paradox of “connected loneliness” and seeks to explain why adolescents and young adults feel alone despite constant online contact. Using an integrative review of peer-reviewed studies and major international reports published mainly between 2009 and 2025, the study synthesises evidence on the prevalence, causes and consequences of youth loneliness. According to the World Health Organization (2025), 20.9% of 13–17-year-olds and 17.4% of 18–29-year-olds report loneliness, the highest rates of any age group. The analysis identifies seven interrelated drivers, including the displacement of face-to-face interaction, passive social media use and upward social comparison, fear of missing out, shallow quantity-based relationships, “phubbing”, life-stage transitions and hypervigilance to social threat. A conceptual model of the self-reinforcing cycle of connected loneliness is proposed, together with a step-by-step algorithm for identifying and reducing loneliness among university students, and evidence-based recommendations are offered for individuals, families, educational institutions, psychological services and policymakers. The article concludes that technology is not inherently isolating; loneliness grows when digital contact replaces, rather than supports, meaningful offline relationships.