A generation has grown up with unprecedented access to the rest of the world, yet access has not necessarily produced connection. Nearly half of U.S. teenagers, 48%, now say social media has a mostly negative effect on people their age, according to Pew Research Center's 2025 survey. At the same time, 74% say social platforms make them feel more connected to friends. The contradiction is difficult for schools to ignore: young people can communicate constantly while still struggling with the deeper work of understanding one another.
The problem extends well beyond social media. A 2025 World Health Organization report estimates that roughly one in six people worldwide experiences loneliness, with adolescents reporting the highest rate at about 21%. The finding places young people at the center of a global social-connection problem at precisely the age when schools are expected to prepare them for adult life.
