Adolescents’ Online-Offline Interactions with Peers and the Intergenerational Transmission of Loneliness

Sara Tafuro , University of Padova
Maria Sironi, University of Padova

Loneliness—defined as a perceived gap between one’s desired and actual levels of social connectedness —is increasing across all age groups, particularly among adolescents. Research remains divided on whether online social interactions alleviate loneliness, and especially on whether they are as effective as in-person contacts. Meanwhile, a growing body of literature suggests loneliness may be transmitted across generations. Several mechanisms might explain this transmission, such as that lonely parents pass on lower social confidence and competence, which in turn encourages social withdrawal in their children. However, no study has yet examined whether such withdrawal is reflected in online and/or offline social behaviors. Differences in these forms of social engagement among children of lonely parents may, indeed, represent a potential pathway in the intergenerational continuity of loneliness. Using data from the youth section of the UK Household Longitudinal Study – Understanding Society, we contribute to this debate in three ways. First, we assess whether online and offline peer interactions offer equal protection against adolescent loneliness. Second, we test for an intergenerational link between parental and adolescent loneliness. Third, we explore whether this link is mediated by adolescents’ patterns of online and offline social habits. Results show that offline interactions are consistently more effective in protecting against loneliness than online ones. We also find a strong association between parental and adolescent loneliness. Children’s diminished social activity offline accounts for a small yet statistically significant indirect effect explaining such parent–child transmission in loneliness, whereas no mediation effect is found for online interactions.

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 Presented in Session P3. Families, Fertility, and the Life Course 3