Loneliness and Distraction in the Social Media Network

Abstract

In our study of young people and the internet among third and fourth grade students in Catholic high schools in Slovenia, we find loneliness, excessive use of social networks and chat services, and a high tolerance for distractions from smartphones. Moreover, we note on the one hand their interest in personal hobbies and on the other hand their passivity in social activities and the problem of expressing their own thoughts. The solution to these problems does not lie in censoring smartphones, but in the planned work of teachers trained in this kind of work with high school students. A model of good practice is the religious instruction in Catholic grammar schools in Slovenia, which not only provides religious content, but also plays a key role in empowering adolescents to have a critical view of the world and to actively participate in society.

Keywords

• smartphone
• internet
• loneliness
• young people
• socialisation
• free time