Although the country has been ranked because the second happiest in Southeast Asia within the World Happiness Report by the Wellbeing Research Centre on the University of Oxford within the UK, some data point to high levels of loneliness, especially among the many younger generation.
A study by Meta-Gallup reveals that the country’s Generation Z, who grew up in an era of digital technologies, are experiencing significant levels of loneliness, underscoring the disconnect between digital connectivity and social well-being.
According to a world survey of student health in schools, the variety of Filipino teenagers aged 13 to 17 who often feel lonely increased from 19.4 percent in 2015 to 24.2 percent in 2019, based on CNA.
Impact of the pandemic on social well-being
Noel Reyes, director of the National Center for Mental Health, emphasized that “peer companionship” is vital to Filipino society. The COVID-19 pandemic, with its prolonged isolation and lockdowns, has exacerbated levels of loneliness, as noted in a Meta-Gallup study.
The lockdown within the Philippines was certainly one of the longest on this planet, with in-person classes only resuming in November 2022, and the general public health emergency only being lifted in July last yr.
The country continues to be within the technique of rebuilding, based on Reyes. But even before the pandemic, there was a “sense of disconnection” in society, psychiatrist Dinah Nadera said.
Impact of using social media
Excessive social media use has also been linked to increased loneliness. While social media can provide momentary happiness, it just isn’t conducive to true long-term relationships.
The Philippines, generally known as the world’s social media capital for the past decade, has 87 million social media users, or 73% of the country’s total population. That number has increased by 8% because the starting of last yr, based on Meltwater and We Are Social’s Digital 2024 report. The country also ranks fourth in time spent on social media, with the typical user spending three hours and 34 minutes a day.
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An issue for kids whose parents are migrants
Another social phenomenon contributing to the high level of loneliness amongst Filipino teenagers is the indisputable fact that many parents work abroad, leaving their children behind for much of their childhood.
Last yr, there have been 2.33 million Filipino migrant employees abroad. One-third of Filipino teenagers grow up without each biological parents, and in some cases, parents who work in town only return home occasionally.
