America’s Youth are considered to be the loneliest in the world. That’s according to former Surgeon General Doctor Vivek Murthy.
And the problem isn’t unique to the United States.
In much of the Western world, loneliness, isolation, despair, and depression appear to be increasing along with rates of teen suicide.
Many blame social media and mobile devices. The kids see their friends socialize without them on social media making them feel increasingly isolated.
But some are also blaming pornography.
The Institute for Family Studies has released a new study that finds a significant amount of screen time is also spent accessing pornography, which may also be a notable contributor to teen loneliness, isolation, and relationship void.
Researcher Mark Butler said their study suggests a close and painful partnership between pornography and loneliness for some users. The IFS survey of over 1,000 individuals around the world, resulted in a statistical model that suggests an association between pornography use and loneliness, each increasing in tandem with the other.
Butler wrote of the findings: “If loneliness can lead to pornography use, and pornography use may bring about or intensify loneliness, these circular linkages may create a vicious cycle.