Parents and carers are being encouraged to acknowledge the impact of youth loneliness, with new research showing nearly two-thirds of young people feel isolated from the people around them.
Headspace's annual National Youth Mental Health Survey was conducted in September and the results highlighted that 62 per cent of young people aged 12 to 25 feel left out "often or some of the time".
It is important that parents and carers are aware of these feelings and that they support young people to remain connected, Robyn Hucker from Headspace Shepparton says.
She said validating their children's feelings and supporting their social activities was particularly true over the summer holidays — a period when parents and carers could become frustrated for being "a taxi" for young people.
"A lot of times parents and carers will dismiss their feelings, so if young people say they're feeling left out or feeling lonely they say, 'Don't worry about it, just go and ring your other friend — you're being silly,'" Ms Hucker said.
"It feeds this idea that the young person is deficient or there is something wrong with them."
Regional isolation
The youth survey, which had more than 3,100 respondents, also highlighted that 62 per cent of regional young people had feelings of isolation.
Ms Hucker said poor access to public transport and dependence on family for travel made a social life complicated for young people in regional areas. This is exacerbated by social media creating a false sense of connection with people.
COVID lockdowns also played a large role in amplifying feelings of isolation and loneliness, Ms Hucker said.
"We said to young people, 'Your home is the only safe place'. For some of our younger people that's just become normal," she said.
"I think we're probably underestimating the culture, or the mindset, that that created.
"Particularly our younger adolescents — they went from primary school to secondary school in complete isolation from one another."
Youth mental health a really big concern'
Brea Dorsett, 23, is a youth advocate for issues including homelessness, gender and race.
Ms Dorsett, who used to live in Shepparton but now calls Melbourne home, has delivered workshops to schools about the skills and lessons she picked up when dealing with her own lived experience of homelessness.
At one of the schools she recently at, 1 in 2 students had been referred to a mental health professional.
"Mental health is obviously a crisis at the moment, but definitely youth mental health is a really big concern," Ms Dorsett said.
She encourages young people experiencing loneliness in rural and remote communities to seek out activities, events and youth groups in their area.
Those opportunities in regional areas were not always put on a platform like in the cities, Ms Dorsett said.
"You have to actually get up and go reach out yourself, which can be a scary thing. But I can guarantee it's worth it," she said.
Ms Hucker says if young people feel sad or lonely over the school holidays they should make plans to see their friends or do activities they enjoy.
"Do things to create a routine and plan things that you're going to look forward to," she said.
"Being alone doesn't have to be all bad. It can be a really productive time."
