More than two-thirds of Americans do not socialize at all on an average day, while their screen time has soared in the past 10 years, according to bombshell survey findings.
A top psychologist told The Post that Gen Z has been particularly impacted by the lack of social engagement.
“They struggle to form social connections as easily,” said William Chopik, associate professor of psychology and a data scientist at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
Only 30% of Americans overall engaged in socializing or communicating on an average day in 2025, down from 38% in 2015, according to figures from the American Time Use Survey.
Their average time spent socializing dropped from 41 minutes to 35 minutes per day in the same time period, almost mirroring the rise in leisure time spent playing games or using a computer or social media, from 25 minutes to 37 minutes a day.
Gen Zers ages 15 to 19 spent the most time on their computer or phone screens, averaging 1.5 hours a day, the study found.
Much of this shift can be traced to the impacts of the COVID-19 lockdowns, particularly the forcing of young people to remain inside at a formative age, Chopik said.
“Their adolescence and their emerging adulthood were characterized by this really tumultuous time; basically, they were locked inside for two years,” he told The Post.
“At this really crucial time when they’re learning how to socialize, they’re trying to figure out who they are and what they like to do.
“You can’t get those years back. You can’t catch up,” he said. “They also had massive economic turmoil. So COVID had social consequences as well.”
The report comes on top of other research that found Gen Zers are also having less sex, as well as drinking less alcohol, than previous generations at their age.
Chopik added that while the disruptions of the pandemic saw a drop in socializing across all age groups, Gen Zers appear to have shifted to a more avoidant attachment mentality that makes it harder for them to rebound post-lockdowns.
He said there are other factors in their environment that could be having an effect, too.
“There are fewer spontaneous hangouts, people; there are fewer ‘third places,’ ” the professor said. “When I was a kid, there used to be places where you could go and not spend money. Just hang out with friends.
“Those places still do exist; there are just fewer of them. And I think part of the problem, too, is that life is really expensive. Traditionally, there was an outlet for people to socialize without breaking the bank,” he said.
Increased reliance on screen-based communication has also left many young people lacking practice in essential face-to-face social techniques, such as active listening, resolving conflicts naturally, and keeping social appointments, Chopik argued.
Despite this, Chopik insists his studies have shown that young people also have a strong “hunger” for genuine connection.
He said his studies help teach basic interaction techniques to their Gen Z participants, successfully helping them build friendships and boost their psychological well-being.
Chopik’s work is about “getting over that chasm that [Gen Z] were disadvantaged by a lot of things that happened when they were younger… working to undo those things,” he said.
He said he hopes that early work on Gen Alpha points to Gen Z being a “blip” before a return to normalcy.
“[Gen Alpha] seem to really thrive and to want to socialize,” he said.
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