In September 2026 the think tank IPPR published new research on young people in England, in a report called The loneliest generation. Its headline finding was striking: around one in 20 young people now report having no close friends, up from one in 100 in 2014. That is a five-fold increase.
What the research found
- 47% of young women and 36% of young men aged 16 to 24 meet the threshold for psychological distress.
- In 2010 to 2012, 4.1% of 16 to 24 year olds said their mental health meant they had achieved less than they wanted in the previous month. Today it is 16.8%, more than four times as many.
- Fewer young people have a wide circle of close friends, and fewer teenagers say they are happy with their friendships than a decade ago.
IPPR suggests a mix of causes, including austerity, the pandemic, the growth of social media, economic insecurity and the cost of housing. Its programme on young people will publish a final report in 2027.
Why this matters for health and work
We believe close connections matter for health. They make it easier to keep healthy habits going and to ask for help when things get hard.
It is showing up at work too. The government’s Keep Britain Working update, published in September 2026, found that the number of people aged 16 to 34 reporting a work-limiting health condition rose by 1.2 million between 2015 and 2024, with mental health accounting for 530,000 of that rise. These are the people starting their careers now.
What helps
There is no single fix, and no app can replace friendship. What tends to help is regular, low-pressure time with other people around something shared.
- Something regular. A weekly walk, run club, class or team gives people a reason to keep showing up, and friendships grow from repetition.
- Something shared. Doing an activity together takes the pressure off talking, and the conversations follow.
- Something in person. Online connection matters, but it works best as a way into real-life contact, not a replacement for it.
Employers can help too, especially for younger staff and people working remotely: proper onboarding, a buddy in the first months, regular in-person moments and team activities that are open to everyone.
Where VYVE fits
Connection is one of VYVE’s three pillars, alongside mind and body, because we believe health is better together. In the app, members can join live sessions, expert-led communities and challenges, and come along to community walks, run clubs and events, in person and online.
We are honest about the limits. VYVE will not solve loneliness on its own, and a phone should never be the whole answer. Our part of the mission is to make it easier for people to find others, take the first step and keep showing up. If you run a club, community or group that brings people together, we would love to work with you.
Sources: IPPR, Young people five times more likely to have no friends than a decade ago, September 2026; GOV.UK, Keep Britain Working: a national growth opportunity, September 2026.