Americans Socialize 10 Fewer Minutes Daily: BLS
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- Average daily socializing fell from 45 to 35 minutes over the past two decades, according to new American Time Use Survey data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- 15- to 24-year-olds saw the steepest decline, dropping from about an hour a day hanging out with others to just 35 minutes
- Smartphone use is a major driver, with teens spending an average of 4.8 hours daily on TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat according to Gallup
- Remote work and pandemic-era lifestyle shifts have persisted, keeping more people homebound years after lockdowns ended
- Gathering spaces are closing at widespread rates — libraries, coffee shops, and museums per a 2025 University of Colorado Boulder report — with churches also shuttering at unprecedented rates
- Bigger, more comfortable homes with larger TVs and nearly universal restaurant delivery apps have made staying in easier than ever
- Derek Thompson labeled the phenomenon 'The Anti-Social Century' in a 2025 Atlantic piece, while Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has linked rising loneliness to broader public health concerns
Why it matters: The cross-generational drop — from 45 to 35 minutes daily over 20 years, affecting every age bracket from teens to seniors — marks a fundamental shift in American daily life that the Surgeon General has already tied to public health concerns around loneliness, with ripple effects on civic engagement and mental health.
