A new script against loneliness
06 Aug 2025
With more than two in five young Australians feeling lonely, social prescribing is one way GPs can help, says an RACGP expert.
Loneliness is a global epidemic. And it’s one that is affecting young people more than anyone.
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Commission on Social Connection’s report, released in June 2025, found one in six people worldwide experience loneliness.
However, in adolescents and young adults, it is one in five.
Sadly, young people in Australia are faring even worse, according to a new report from national peak body Ending Loneliness Together.
Its report, released to coincide with this week's Loneliness Awareness Week, shows 43% of young Australians feel lonely, labelling the epidemic a growing public health concern.
‘Despite being the most digitally connected generation, many young people report feeling socially disconnected, highlighting a discrepancy between online relationships and real-life connections,’ it said.
RACGP Specific Interests Social Prescribing Chair Dr Kuljit Singh told newsGP the impact of loneliness – not just its emotional and mental toll, but the number of people it affects – is significant.
‘Loneliness is definitely underestimated, and a lot of people are just not aware of the incidents of it and the impacts that it can have on our health and wellbeing,’ she said.
Dr Singh said there are many reasons why loneliness is increasing, not just in Australia, but globally.
‘The pandemic is one of the things that was a catalyst that pushed everyone and forced everyone into social distancing and lockdowns,’ she said.
‘Screen time and social media is probably a big part of it, as well as the geographical distribution of people and having people living remotely or regionally.’
Dr Singh is passionate about using social prescribing – strengthening community connections for people at risk – to combat loneliness.
For GPs, it can be an ‘add-on to what we’re already doing’, she says.
‘I’m not saying that we should be getting rid of anything that we’re doing that needs to stay in place, but this is an extra tool in our toolkit.’
The idea of using social prescribing to combat loneliness has been gaining traction for some time.
In 2022, WHO released a toolkit on how to implement social prescribing. That same year, the RACGP identified a ‘clear need’ for a national social prescribing scheme, launching the social prescribing specific interests group that Dr Singh chairs.
In 2024, the RACGP was part of the Accelerating Social Prescribing roundtable, attended by more than 50 health, consumer and social wellbeing organisations, which called for the nationwide implementation of social prescribing into primary care.
And since February 2025, the Victorian Government has been trialling a social prescribing program, Local Connections, across six state regions, linking at-risk people into community based activities.
Dr Singh said social prescribing allows GPs to give ‘power back to the patient, autonomy back to the patient.’
‘It gives us that ability to empower our patients, to have a conversation about lifestyle options and behavioural change – something that you can do without a pill,’ she said.
More than 1000 young people from the University of Melbourne’s annual Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia report took part in the study by Ending Loneliness Together.
The study found factors that worsen loneliness include infrequent time with friends and/or family, low community participation, low satisfaction with parent relationships, and a lack of physical activity.
However, it also identifies ways to help young people to connect with others, such as access to inclusive community spaces, free or low-cost connection opportunities and a mix of online and face-to-face connection.
Moving forward, Dr Singh said there needs to be significant changes made to combat the loneliness epidemic.
‘We need collaboration throughout sectors, we need to have policy changes from the government level, we need more advocacy, and campaigning, and networking,’ she said.
‘On a community level, there needs to be positive changes like social prescribing.’
