In-person social isolation in the age of smartphonies: Examining age, period, cohort effects by gender.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Level 4 by design analogy: repeated cross-sectional observational survey data analyzed with age-period-cohort modeling.
PubMed 41021594 · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0333493
What was done
Researchers analyzed data from the 2003–2022 waves of the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) comprising 240,576 individuals aged 15–79. The outcome evaluated was time spent alone in nonwork activities. Age-Period-Cohort (APC) modeling was applied to separate net age, societal (period), and generational (cohort) effects on social isolation separately by gender.
What was found
Social isolation rose over the two-decade study period across both genders, with an acceleration noted in the mid-2010s. However, age and cohort effects accounted for a larger role in driving the isolation trend than period effects. Substantial gender differences emerged, specifically in generational trajectories and in age-related patterns after age 70. No specific numerical values or effect sizes were reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
While broader societal changes during the smartphone era contributed to rising isolation, life-course aging and generational differences were stronger drivers. Public health strategies targeting isolation may have greater impact by focusing on older populations and cohort-specific needs rather than solely on digital technology shifts.
Limits
The study is restricted to repeated cross-sectional self-reported time-use data, using time spent alone as a proxy for social isolation without measuring perceived loneliness. The abstract provides no exact numerical effect sizes or confidence intervals, and the non-experimental design precludes direct causal attribution to specific smartphone technologies.
Cited by
- context From the 1960s until 2014, the amount of time Americans spent alone compared to time spent with friends remained stable, before 2014 marked a steep increase in time spent alone and a decline in time spent with friends.