By Rachel Kelly

When I was growing up in the 1980s, I remember my parents inviting various elderly neighbours over at Christmas; it was a commonplace that otherwise they would be lonely.

Now it’s young people who need the call-up.

Research confirms that young people are experiencing high rates of loneliness, often at higher levels than older age groups. This is never truer than at Christmas, when the emphasis on togetherness and online images of idealised festive cheer can counter-intuitively make people feel even more isolated.

In 2025, a survey found that 72% of 16 to 25-year-olds said loneliness negatively impacts their mental health, much higher than any other age group. Another large review found that loneliness peaks between ages 18 and 29, with

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