They may have text,email,Facebook and Twitter,but young people are still lonelier than any other age group.The Loneliness in New Zealand Report,published by Statistics New Zealand,shows under 30s are more likely to feel lonely than older people because loneliness decreases with age.Loneliness and poor mental health were strongly related across all ages.Young people were not as likely to feel lonely because of financial hardship,but among older people,lack of money was a significant influence on loneliness.Women were more likely to feel lonely than men. Philip Walker,spokesman for the General Social Survey,said because it was  ly new it was hard to know whether loneliness among young people was a new trend.But overseas research has found that levels of loneliness in youth today are growing. Mr.Walker said the finding needed more exploration,including looking at the role of technology and social media."It could be that people's expectations of connection have gone up,so we expect increased levels of connection,"he said."While technology like cell phones could help young people stay connected,on the other hand for those who do get bullied ,especially bullied online,it's quite isolating.A lot of the time potentially it is a big contributor to loneliness." Figures from online dating website FindSomeone also confirmed more young people were looking for love.Manager Rick Davies,said younger dating hopefuls were the fastest growing group on the site. Mr.Davies noted that since the report data was collected in 2010there had been huge growth in smart phones,which meant people were online even more.He believed online tools,such as Skype,could help people stay connected."People can keep in touch with a wide range of friends from all over the world much more easily now.It's like you're sitting in your living room having a chat with them." Bemardine Reid,operations committee chairwoman for Samaritans,which operates a free helpline,said many of their calls came from people who were lonely."It might be that they've got some problem,just like all the things people would normally talk to a friend about,but people who are alone lack those normal contacts." The Statistics New Zealand report also showed people who didn't have face-to-face contact with family and friends were more likely to feel lonely,as were those who lived alone. Which of the following may Mr.Walker agree with?
High technology may become a reason for loneliness. People shouldn't use the Internet to get to know strangers. It's hard for people to get enough connection online as expected. Social media should play an important role in helping lonely people.