In-person social isolation in the age of smartphones: examining age, period, cohort trends

• In Event: 40861 - Section on Sociology of Population Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 2: Life Course Transitions, Aging, and Health

Abstract

The rise of smartphones and social media is widely seen as a pivotal societal shift that has fueled what the U.S. Surgeon General in 2023 described as "our epidemic of loneliness and isolation." The evidence for an upward trend in social isolation, however, has not accounted for age and cohort effects – i.e., variation in time spent alone over the life course and across generations. Using 2003-2022 waves of the American Time Use Survey, we leverage the latest breakthrough in Age-Period-Cohort modeling to disentangle age-specific trends, societal changes, and generational shifts that contribute to social isolation in the era of smartphones. We find a modest period trend of increasing social isolation, with an acceleration in the mid 2010s, suggesting that societal shifts during this time may have intensified social isolation for all Americans. Age or cohort effects, however, are much stronger and more important in explaining the social isolation crisis in the 21st century.

Authors

• Siyun Peng, Indiana University-Bloomington

• Shawn Bauldry, Purdue University