Young people in England five times more likely to have no close friends than in 2014

Sep 1, 2026

A report by the Institute for Public Policy Research reveals that 5% of young people in England now have no close friends, a fivefold increase since 2014. Driven by austerity, the pandemic, and social media doomscrolling, this isolation has triggered a severe mental health crisis, with 47% of young women and 36% of young men experiencing psychological distress. In response to this growing disconnection, former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer introduced a social media ban for under-16s.

Youth friendship decline statistics

▪The proportion of 16- to 21-year-olds in England with at least three close friends fell from 85% in 2012-14 to 72% in 2023-25.
▪The proportion of 14- and 15-year-olds in England who were completely or very happy with their friendships fell from 86% to 76% between the periods 2012-14 and 2023-25.
▪One in 20 young people in England now report having no close friends at all, up from one in 100 in 2014, according to a report by the Institute for Public Policy Research.

Social media doomscrolling habits

▪Young people in England aged 15 to 17 spend around six-and-a-half hours online every day, typically on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat.
▪The Institute for Public Policy Research report describes doomscrolling as a fundamentally solitary activity that has become the daily pastime of a generation, fueling disconnection.

Austerity effects on youth

▪The Institute for Public Policy Research report attributes youth disconnection to political choices, including the privatization of public services and the erosion of youth clubs and spaces.
▪The Institute for Public Policy Research associate director Avnee Morjaria stated that young people are responding rationally to a bleak world shaped by austerity, a pandemic, and a digital revolution.

Delayed adulthood economic barriers

▪The Institute for Public Policy Research found that a reduced number of 16- to 24-year-olds starting apprenticeships and a growth in those not in education, employment, or training are delaying independence.
▪The average age of a first-time homebuyer in England has reached 34, and nearly one in five young people spend half of their income on rent.

Youth mental health crisis

▪Nearly half of young women aged 16 to 24 (47 percent) and more than a third of young men of the same age (36 percent) in England meet the threshold for psychological distress.
▪Professor Eamon McCrory of the Anna Freud charity attributed rising adolescent anxiety and depression to 'social thinning,' defined as the loss of in-person social interactions and infrastructure.
▪The proportion of 16- to 24-year-olds stating their mental health caused them to accomplish less over the previous month rose from 4.1 percent in 2010-12 to 16.8 percent today.

UK social media age restrictions

▪In one of his final acts as prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer introduced a ban on social media platforms, including Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, for young people under 16.
▪The United Kingdom sought consultation from Australia, which introduced the world's first outright ban on social media for under-16s in December 2025.