Study links active SNS sharing to loneliness, clearest in Seoul adults over 60
In short
A study of 34,142 Seoul adults found that those who actively share their daily lives on social media reported loneliness more often than other users — 30.1% versus 23.3%. Overall, 28.2% of respondents said they felt lonely, a share that rose to 33.5% among those aged 60 and over. The researchers said the link between active sharing and loneliness was not statistically significant among those aged 20 to 59 but was clear in the 60-plus group.
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Adults in Seoul who actively share their daily lives on social media reported feeling lonely more often than other users, according to a study by a research team at Seoul National University's College of Medicine. The link was not statistically significant among people aged 20 to 59 but was clear among those aged 60 and over, the researchers said. The results were published in the Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The team, led by Min Kyung-bok of the department of preventive medicine, analysed social media use and loneliness among 34,142 Seoul residents aged 20 and over, with an average age of 52.3, who took part in the 2024 Seoul Survey. Of them, 25,134 used social media and 9,008 did not, Yonhap reported. Respondents were asked whether they felt lonely in their relationships with family members or with people outside the family; those who answered yes to either were classified as feeling lonely. Overall, 28.2% of respondents said they felt lonely, ranging from 22.8% among those in their 20s to 33.5% among those aged 60 and over. [ 1 , 2 ]
Among users who actively shared their daily lives, 30.1% reported loneliness, compared with 23.3% of users who did not. Similar patterns appeared among users who compared themselves socially or felt alienated: 34.4% of those who felt others were happier than they were and 37.5% of those who felt alienated reported loneliness, against 22.9% and 22.4% respectively for other users. Asia Economy reported that users were divided into five behaviour categories — active use, information seeking, communication-first use, social comparison and alienation — and that problematic behaviour in three or more of them was linked still more strongly to loneliness. [ 1 , 2 ]
“Problematic social media use behaviour was strongly associated with loneliness,” the research team said, adding that older adults appeared especially vulnerable and that education and intervention tailored to specific behaviours and population groups were needed. The team said the age pattern suggested older people may be more exposed to the negative sides of social media use and pointed to the need for guidance on healthy use. [ 1 , 2 ]
Asia Economy reported that the study appeared in the 2026, volume 59, issue 4 of the journal. Chosun Ilbo's summary also said the findings had been published in the Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health. [ 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The study, published in a preventive medicine journal, points to older adults as the group where social media behaviour and loneliness are most tightly linked, and the research team called for education and intervention tailored to specific behaviours and population groups. The documents give no national or clinical consequences beyond that, and no cause-and-effect conclusion.
Key facts
- The study analysed 34,142 Seoul residents aged 20 and over, with an average age of 52.3, who took part in the 2024 Seoul Survey. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Of those, 25,134 used social media and 9,008 did not. [ 1 ]
- 28.2% of all respondents said they felt lonely; the rate was lowest among those in their 20s at 22.8% and highest among those aged 60 and over at 33.5%. [ 1 , 2 ]
- 30.1% of users who actively shared their daily lives reported loneliness, compared with 23.3% of other users. [ 1 , 2 ]
- 34.4% of users who felt others were happier than them and 37.5% of those who felt alienated reported loneliness, against 22.9% and 22.4% respectively for other users. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The link between active sharing and loneliness was not statistically significant among those aged 20 to 59 but was clear among those aged 60 and over, the researchers said. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The findings were published in the Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Asia Economy reported that problematic social media use spanning three or more of five behaviour categories was linked still more strongly to loneliness. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- A team led by Min Kyung-bok of Seoul National University College of Medicine's department of preventive medicine analysed 34,142 Seoul residents aged 20 and over from the 2024 Seoul Survey. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- 28.2% of respondents reported loneliness, with the lowest rate among those in their 20s (22.8%) and the highest among those aged 60 and over (33.5%). [ 1 , 2 ]
- Users who actively shared their daily lives on social media reported loneliness at 30.1%, compared with 23.3% of users who did not. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The association between active sharing and loneliness was statistically significant only among those aged 60 and over, not among those aged 20 to 59. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The results were published in the Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- Whether social media use leads to loneliness, or lonely people share more, is not established in the documents. The study is described as an analysis of associations; no document states a causal direction.
- The breakdown of social media behaviour into five categories — active use, information seeking, communication-first use, social comparison and alienation — is reported only by Asia Economy, which gives no figures for the individual categories. Single-source detail; no numbers attached for most categories.
- The finding that three or more overlapping problematic behaviours strengthen the link to loneliness is reported only by Asia Economy, without figures. Single-source claim with no supporting number.
- The number of non-users (9,008) is given only by the Yonhap report. Single-source figure, though from an official-type national news agency.