Loneliness is one of the critical mental health issues facing young people in Ireland and they are turning to spunout for help. This help is provided by spunout’s Text About It service which is a free, anonymous, 24/7 messaging service providing everything from a calming chat to immediate support for our mental health and emotional wellbeing. Over the past 12 months, we have supported over 52,000 conversations through this lifesaving service, most happening at night when young people are feeling most alone and when other services are simply not available. From connecting with young people through Text About it, we know that loneliness is a recurring struggle for them. It frequently sits alongside other difficult emotions such as anxiety, sadness and depression. These experiences are complex and deeply connected to mental health and wellbeing. However, with spunout’s commitment to listen to and advocate for young people in Ireland, loneliness can be tackled with the correct support offered through youth-led interventions.

What the data shows:

• Loneliness is a recurring topic of concern reported by young people using spunout’s Text About It 24/7 text service.
• Peak times for conversations relating to loneliness were between 7pm and 2am, which suggests a link with unstructured times and social disconnection.
• Young people aged between 16–24 reported the highest levels of loneliness.
• Young people with a secondarylevel education reported higher levels of loneliness than those with a third-level education. Among 12-34 year olds, 1 in 5 conversations related to loneliness.
• Loneliness rarely occurs in isolation–many texters who sought support for being lonely also spoke about anxiety, sadness, stress, relationship difficulties and thoughts of self harm.
• Many young people experience loneliness, despite 59% of texters living in a family home. Loneliness has a lasting impact on health and wellbeing.