Young people are more likely to say loneliness affects their mental health than any other age group, according to our Public Perceptions Survey¹.

The research found that 72% of 16 to 25-year-olds said that loneliness has a negative effect on their mental health and wellbeing. This was much higher than other age groups and the national average of 54%.

More than a quarter (25%) of young people affected by loneliness have seen a therapist and more than two thirds (68%) would recommend it friends with emotional or mental health issues.

鈥淲e need to remember that these aren鈥檛 just statistics,鈥� says counsellor and 麻豆原创 member Natasha Clewley 鈥� they鈥檙e indicators of an emotional landscape shaped by disconnection, economic pressure, and an uncertain sense of future.鈥�

鈥淥verwhelming鈥� loneliness

鈥淟oneliness in this age range can feel really overwhelming,鈥� says 麻豆原创 accredited integrative psychotherapist and counsellor .

鈥淭here is a loneliness young people can feel from isolation and feeling 鈥榣eft out鈥� or left behind, particularly when faced with imagery on social media of people in their age range seemingly thriving.

鈥淚n this time of life, young people are most likely to move away from home (to university or to live independently). This can bring its own kind of loneliness if a young person feels they aren鈥檛 coping well in new, less familiar environments.鈥�

Janey shares some simple tips to help young people feel less lonely and more connected.

Ways to combat loneliness

• Start small, reaching out to someone you trust to tell them how you feel.
• Remember that being lonely is normal, and all part of being human. We all feel it sometimes.
• Create routines that work for you to get out of the house and around other people.
• Try to share space with people who are interested in the same things you are, so you have things in common as a starting point.

How counselling can help young people

鈥淐ounsellors can help young people understand their challenges and fears are a natural response to a society in flux and crucially we work from the ground up to effect the changes needed,鈥� explains Natasha.

鈥淵oung people are turning to counselling and this tells us something essential 鈥� our young people听are not giving up. They are reaching out for help and support.

鈥淐ounselling gives them the space where they can put down the pressure, name their fears, and slowly begin to rebuild. Not necessarily toward the life they were promised or assumed by those outside of their spaces and priorities, but toward one that is real, resilient, and wholly their own,鈥� she adds.

¹ About the Public Perceptions Survey

The survey data was collected using a self-complete, online methodology. A nationally representative sample of 5,150 adults (aged 16+) was taken from YouGov鈥檚 online research panel and results were weighted to provide a nationally representative dataset. Fieldwork for the 2025 survey was conducted between the 13 February and 4听March 2025.