Loneliness among young people: A silent crisis in Germany!

Loneliness among young people: A silent crisis in Germany!

In Germany, between 13 and 18 percent of young people feel lonely. This describes a discrepancy between the actual social relationships and the needs that these young people have. This topic was discussed intensively during the SO LONELY! symposium, which took place in Hanover from July 2nd to 4th, 2025. It was designed by Prof. Dr. Susanne Bücker from the University of Witten/Herdecke initiated it and brought together around 50 international experts from science, politics, practice and business. [uni-wh.de] reports that the symposium was part of the “Gem/Loneliness” theme week, which is sponsored by the Volkswagen Foundation. A main focus was on the particular challenges of loneliness in childhood, adolescence and the transition to adulthood.

The discussions in Hanover examined loneliness in an interdisciplinary manner. There were three keynotes dedicated to different aspects of loneliness research. Prof. Dr. Luc Goossens from KU Leuven looked at the historical development of loneliness research, while Prof. Dr. Pamela Qualter from the University of Manchester highlighted the importance of cross-sector strategies. Prof. Dr. Astrid Kemperman from the Eindhoven University of Technology analyzed the influence of environmental factors on loneliness. Overall, there was agreement that there is a lot of catching up to do in research on loneliness among children and young people. bpb.de points out that loneliness is often incorrectly associated only with older people, while young people in particular are often affected by a lack of social contacts.

The dynamics of loneliness

During the symposium it was emphasized that loneliness in young people is not only a consequence of social deficits, but also depends on the quality of relationships. Studies show that teenagers feel lonelier when they spend time with parents and less when they are in the company of their peers. Social nonconformity and experiences of discrimination can also lead to increased feelings of loneliness. The corona pandemic has exacerbated the situation, as distance regulations and the closure of educational institutions led to a dramatic loss of social contacts. Around a third of young people found this stressful. [deutschlandfunkkultur.de] notes that this has also brought awareness to the importance of social relationships, whereby it is not the number of contacts that is decisive, but rather their quality.

The Federal Government's 15th Children and Youth Report describes balancing individual freedom and social belonging as a central challenge. This makes it all the more clear that loneliness is not just an individual problem, but a problem for society as a whole. The symposium concluded with a call for a shared sense of responsibility among society, politics and the education system in order to develop targeted prevention and intervention strategies.

Key findings and actions

The experts emphasized the need to tailor measures to combat loneliness specifically to young people and their individual life situations. The discussions also highlighted the role of sports clubs and digitally supported interventions, as well as the importance of targeted media education. Another point worth highlighting was the call for international collaboration among scientists to address loneliness as a social and political problem. Deutschlandfunk culture reports that loneliness is increasing among young adults worldwide, while it is decreasing in other age groups. Especially in today's world, when economic insecurities and experiences of discrimination are common, it is important to teach people that loneliness is part of growing up and that there are ways to deal with it effectively.

Overall, it appears that loneliness among young people is a dynamic and complex phenomenon. To avoid chronic loneliness, stable relationships in childhood are crucial. For this to succeed, both parents and educational systems must be involved to create a supportive environment that removes taboos from loneliness and has a preventive effect. The joint initiative and research should also actively involve those affected in order to understand their needs and be able to respond to them in a targeted manner.