Social Media and Loneliness: Cause of Communication Gap Among Parents and Children Relationship

Running Head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND LONELINESS: CAUSE OF COMMUNICATION GAP
AMONG PARENTS AND CHILDREN RELATIONSHIP 1
SOCIAL MEDIA AND LONELINESS: CAUSE OF COMMUNICATION

GAP AMONG PARENTS AND CHILDREN RELATIONSHIP
Faiza Mubeen, Dr. Moazzam Naseer
Abstract
Communication within family members is dependent upon time we have at hand. It is a fact that
family is first priority in everyone’s life. However, in the era of modern technology people are
spending more time on social media instead of interacting face to face. Due to excessive use of
social media there are lack of communication within members of family which are creating
different barriers within family members like children are not considering their elders to share
their problems due to lack of communication which leads to loneliness. This research will
explore that how loneliness prevails among family members of a family due to excessive use of
social media. This research will explore what is the effect of loneliness among families. This
research will follow survey method with detail interview method and total sample will be around
14 to 15 members targeted sample includes three families who are using social media on daily
basis including children as well as parents, Questions will be open ended. There will be detail
analysis will be done on data we will collect through survey and content analysis will be on past
literature as well. In recent studies it is noted that young generation are more into use of social
media which is creating many personality issues due to of lack of communication with their
parents which are leading roots for many issues like acceptance of different perspectives, trust
issues within family members etc. There should be some restrictions on some social sites for
teenagers as well as parents needs to make check and balance on their children activities and they
also should needs to make time for their children and do healthy conversation on daily basis.
Keywords: Social media, loneliness, communication gap, parent and child relationship.
SOCIAL MEDIA AND LONELINESS: CAUSE OF COMMUNICATION GAP AMONG PARENTS
AND CHILDREN RELATIONSHIP 2
Introduction
In the past decade, social media have come to be a critical piece of the lives of kids, youth, and
adults. Almost all and sundry makes use of this medium to interface with buddies, the hover of
relatives, collaborators, and groups, and a gigantic a piece of more youthful people's social lives
are currently being performed on social media and on-line boards (Anderson, 2018) .
The one of a kind features of on-line social media give benefits to numerous kids and
teens contrasted and different communications media: their open nature, immediacy, and
accessibility add to customers 'social improvement and expertise. One of the vital questions
raised by using educators and therapists is whether or not youthful individuals present in the
digital sphere constitutes a satisfactory trade for a sense of having a place and mitigates the
loneliness that teens every now and again revel in (Mitchell, 2008).
Psychological Effects of Excessive Use of Internet

Loneliness has been described as initial social relationships being less than desired or completed,
including uneasy feelings, misery, and perceptions of deficiencies in one's social members of the
family. Some researchers have observed that Internet use ends in antagonistic outcomes for the
person, such as diminished interactions with households and friends, broadened depression and
loneliness, and neglect existing close relationships.
Brenner (1997) surveyed more youthful Internet customers who spent a median of 19
hours as per week on the web and found that they referenced inclination more remoted from
society when surveyed than sooner than the use of the Internet. He ascribed the sentiment of
isolation of these Internet users to their decreased non-open interactions with the hover of
relative's individuals and friends. The sentiment of isolation should get worse because of the
decision to dismiss or overlook a request to "amigo" someone in social media. In contrast,
various researchers determined that social networking progressively desirable self-disclosure and
communication, subsequently decreasing loneliness and despair.
Computer Mediated Communication

The internet is so new that little is thought about individuals who use it a striking deal, or
whether it could influence conduct or mirror personality developments. Several studies have
shown that PC mediated conversation (CMC) is intrinsically impersonal, shallow, and perhaps
even opposed (MOODY, 2001). This is because CMC has hardly any channels of verbal trade
when contrasted with the stand-to-confront report. For instance, while CMC relies on the
simplest composed words and logos to speak, FtF has spoken phrases, facial expressions,
inflections inside the speaker's voice, etc, that everyone makes contributions to the records
passed on. This helps Short et al's. Social Presence Theory, which predicts that the less the
channels of report, the less consideration may be paid to the speaker (Parks, 2011).
A significant part of the research assisting this idea comes from observably established
lab studies that bound the quantity of time organizations could paintings on problems. In the
evaluation of research that has found that the Internet inhibits dispatch, distinctive research has
found that it could improve conversation. At the point when subjects have been presently not
restricted in time spent on a given assignment, CMC surely settled on decision-production
processes extra proficient and powerful. This is because of the lack of private statistics passed on
through CMC (MOODY, 2001). When there are reduced numbers of channels, social repute does
no longer emerge and for that reason, does now not inhibit response costs. Further, while topics
aren't limited in their time usage on a CMC challenge, it was determined that personal statistics
could be conveyed sufficiently to promote interpersonal relationships.
Feelings of loneliness are often heightened during the formative years; approximately
20% of Canadian adolescents self-pick out as being lonely (K, 2018). Seminal reviews have
defined loneliness as emotions that result from the absence of a social lifestyles that one dreams,
which include a perceived discrepancy between the social contacts one has when it comes to
what they crave, a boom of their want for social connection that isn't always met, or a subjective
feeling of isolation regardless of surrounding social opportunities.
Loneliness is considered a huge danger component for intellectual contamination

inclusive of tension and despair, which is predicted to affect thirteen. Four % of adolescents
worldwide. Thus, evidence regarding modern-day factors, including social media use that
contributes to the improvement of loneliness is of remarkable significance to the prevention of

intellectual illness among youth (S, 2018).
Online Relation and Social Relations through Social Networking Sites

Numerous researchers have offered definitions of social networks. Riegner (2007)
characterized a social network as a sort of virtual network whose basic goal is to make
interactions using on the web tools between individuals who share normal social, sentimental,
business, or different interests. Boyd and Ellison characterize social media websites as an online
medium that makes it possible for individuals to make an online profile, and share it with friends
or with the general open. Using social networks, individuals disseminate their personal profiles
and share contents identified with their private or business lives. Besides, numerous social
network platforms allow users to transfer images and access other people's' profiles, and provides
numerous opportunities to make friendships and interactions
Social media and its Relationship with Loneliness

Social media tools which incorporate Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and WhatsApp give
their hundreds of thousands of users the opportunity to convey, get in contact, and get admission
to statistics, studies, and visit. Be that as it may, its miles perceived that various pathologies arise
because of the insensible, in different phrases excessive, use of this social media hardware
(Savci, 2016). Studies have emphasized that folks that spend their time online are lonelier of
their real existence.
LaRose, Eastin, and Gregg (2001) characterize the virtual condition as being individually
inside the group. Chou and Hsiao (2000) country that being on the web decreases the time spent
on social relationships and up close and personal relationships, reasons social isolation and
increases loneliness in those individuals. As per observe did by using Demir and Kutlu (2015),
loneliness makes the man or lady sad (Yavich, 2019).
Loneliness is an emotional state wherein a character from internal emptiness and social
isolation. In the past decade, social media have risen as an indispensable piece of the lives of
kids, kids, and adults. Almost everyone uses this medium to associate with buddies, possess
family, co-employees, and communities, and an enormous piece of youthful humans' social lives
are actually being led on social media and online forums (Dykstra, 2007).
In the present international work, elders are experiencing problems that incorporate
despair, sentiment of disregard, loneliness, and isolation. Because of the speedy increase in
atomic households and the overall fashion of business opportunities, elders are constrained to
stay without anyone else (CAPLAN, 2007). Rook stated loneliness is an emotional nation that
arose while a man or lady feels dismissed with the guide of others and lacks partners for social
sports. Here is the possibility of happening loneliness in all age agencies however this difficulty
is maximally material to elders.
Here is an instantaneous dating between age and loneliness. Loneliness is an emotional

state wherein a character from internal emptiness and social isolation. In the past decade, social
media have risen as an indispensable piece of the lives of kids, kids, and adults. Almost everyone
uses this medium to associate with buddies, possess family, co-employees, and communities, and
an enormous piece of youthful humans' social lives are actually being led on social media and
online forums (Dykstra, 2007).
Social Media Use Causes Loneliness among adults

Those who acknowledge the first hypothesis and view the Internet as causing loneliness
contend that time online interrupts real life relationships. Internet use isolates individuals from
the real world and deprives them of the sense of having a place and association with real world
contacts. Thus, loneliness can be a side-effect of excessive Internet use because users are
spending time on the web, frequently investing in online relationships, which are artificial and
frail, at the expense of real life relationships.
Further, online communication fosters technological alienation, making barriers between

participants, even those who know each other in different contexts. The certain assumption of
those supporting this hypothesis is that online relationships are frail and superficial contrasted
and those in real life. Support for this contention is found in the Home Net study, which reported
increases in loneliness resulting from Internet use (Kraut et al., 1998).
This study gave free or diminished cost computers, preparing, and Internet access for two
years to 93 families' consisting of 169 individuals. Participants allowed their Internet use to be
observed and gave self-reports on their psychological and social characteristics before starting
Internet use as well as at 1-year intervals after they started using the Internet.
Participants' accounted for loneliness toward the start of the study didn't foresee measure
of subsequent Internet use, however more prominent Internet use was associated with increased
levels of loneliness. The author’s quality the increases in loneliness to decreases in family
communication, social activities, happiness, and the quantity of individuals in one's social
network, which also were associated with increased Internet use.
Internet and Social Relationship

Additional affirmation of the adverse impact of Internet use on social relationships has
been found in different studies as well. A study by Stanford Institute for the Quantitative Study
of Society of a representative sample of 4113 American adults discovered social isolation
increased with Internet use. A fourth of respondents who use the Internet over 5 hours seven
days accept their time online reduces their time with friends and family either in person or on the
telephone, and 10% say they spend less time going to social events outside the home (O'Toole,
2000). Another, smaller study of adolescents found more noteworthy Internet use associated with
more fragile relationships with their parents and friends, although directionality couldn't be
determined (Sanders, Field, Diego, and Kaplan, 2000).
Yet, even these studies have recorded a negative social effect of the Internet for a small
level of users. Second, it might be wrong to causally associate decreased social contact with
loneliness. Research on loneliness has discovered that loneliness is not identified with the level
of social contact and movement. Typically, loneliness is not characterized in terms of an
individual's social network, yet as the subjective experience associated with an apparent absence
of interpersonal closeness (Chelune, Sultan, and Williams, 1980).
Literature Review
As indicated by the second affirmed hypothesis of the study, and at the same time the
second result, social media usage legitimately, positively, and statistically significantly affects
loneliness. This discovering suggests that loneliness increases as social media usage increases.
There are progressing debates in the writing as to whether or not excessive social media usage
causes loneliness or whether loneliness causes excessive social media usage. Another study
states that loneliness and social isolation directs individuals from the actual condition (reality) to
virtual environments (Young and Roger 1998). Then again, another researcher underlined that
virtual environments remove individuals from actual environments and expose them to
loneliness (Kim, LaRose, and Peng 2009).
Similarly, another research states that as a result of excessive social media usage,
individuals experience more elevated levels of loneliness (Zhou, 2010). Morahan Martin and
Schumacher under line that individuals dependent on the internet experience more elevated
levels of loneliness than non-dependent individuals (Morahan Martin and Schumacher, 2000). In
a meta-analysis directed by Tokunaga and Rains, it was suggested that internet compulsion is
positively identified with loneliness. In conclusion, despite the way that social media tools offer
individuals ways to make new friends, convey, talk, and get/stay in contact with one another,
they also cause individuals to get isolated from actual social environments (Tokunaga and Rains,
2010).
Despite this communication, high Internet use also associates with high emotional
loneliness, and may along these lines add to emotional trouble. This is consistent with resent
studies that have discovered what they call an "Internet oddity," where despite the fact that the
Internet is used as a communication apparatus, it still has negative effects on psychological
prosperity. In that study, it is speculated that the negative effects of Internet use result from two
factors. First there is a displacement of social activities where the individual ends up spending
such a lot of time online that the person in question can't take an interest in Face to confront
social activities (Savci. M, 2016).
In a study, it suggests that individuals who are not psychosocially healthy (e.g., are
desolate) experience issues not just keeping up healthy social cooperation in their real lives yet in
addition managing their Internet use. Also, these individuals wind up adding additional problems
to their lives besides their loneliness. The increased problems may drive them to depend more on
their preferred online movement as a means to diminish or escape from their expanded troubles,
which could isolate them and increase loneliness more. This proposition was tested with the
second hypothesized model that had loneliness as an endogenous variable after negative
outcomes and was supported (Yavich, R, 2019).
To clarify the empirical association between loneliness and the contrary outcomes of
dangerous internet use, some researchers, have propelled the forlorn attracted to the Internet
hypothesis, proposing that, contrasted with non-desolate individuals, the forlorn are especially
attracted to certain special features of synchronous online social connection that are not
accessible in normal eye to eye conversations.
Social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and WhatsApp offer their
millions of users the opportunity to impart, get in contact, access data, research and visit. Be that
as it may, it is realized that various pathologies happen due to the insensible, at the end of the
day excessive, use of these social media tools (Kuss and Griffiths, 2011).
Studies have emphasized that individuals who spend their time online are lonelier in their
real life (Shaw and Gant, 2002; Turkmen, 2016; Weiser, 2001). LaRose characterize virtual
condition as being alone in the group. Kim, LaRose, and Peng (2009). It is state that being on the
web decreases the time spent on social relationships and eye to eye relationships, causes social
isolation and increases loneliness in these individuals (Kim, LaRose and Peng 2009).
As indicated by the affirmed hypothesis of another study, social media usage

legitimately, positively, and statistically significantly affects loneliness. This discovering
suggests that loneliness increases as social media usage increases. There are progressing debates
in the writing as to whether or not excessive social media usage causes loneliness or whether
loneliness causes excessive social media usage. It is state that loneliness and social isolation
directs individuals from the actual condition (reality) to virtual environments (Young and Roger
1998).
Then again, Kim, underlined that virtual environments remove individuals from actual
environments and expose them to loneliness (Kim, LaRose, and Peng 2009). Similarly, Zhou
(2010) states that as a result of excessive social media usage, individuals experience more
elevated levels of loneliness. Researcher Morahan Martin stated that individuals dependent on
the internet experience more elevated levels of loneliness than non-dependent individuals
(Morahan Martin and Schumacher 2000).
. In a meta-analysis directed by Tokunaga and Rains, it was suggested that internet

dependence is positively identified with loneliness. In conclusion, despite the way that social
media tools offer individuals ways to make new friends, convey, visit, and get/stay in contact
with one another, they also cause individuals to get isolated from actual social environments
(Tokunaga and Rains, 2010).
Those who acknowledge the first hypothesis and view the Internet as causing loneliness
contend that time online interrupts real life relationships. Internet use isolates individuals from
the real world and deprives them of the sense of having a place and association with real world
contacts. Thus, loneliness can be a side-effect of excessive Internet use because users are
spending time on the web, frequently investing in online relationships, which are artificial and
feeble, at the expense of real life relationships.
Further, online communication fosters technological alienation, making barriers between

participants, even those who know each other in different contexts. The understood assumption
of those supporting this hypothesis is that online relationships are feeble and superficial
contrasted and those in real life. Support for this contention is found in the Home Net study,
which reported increases in loneliness resulting from Internet use (Kraut et al., 1998).
This study gave free or decreased cost computers, preparing, and Internet access for two
years to 93 families consisting of 169 individuals. Participants allowed their Internet use to be
observed and gave self-reports on their psychological and social characteristics before starting
Internet use as well as at 1-year intervals after they started using the Internet. Participants'
accounted for loneliness toward the start of the study didn't anticipate measure of subsequent
Internet use, however more prominent Internet use was associated with increased levels of
loneliness (M. Martin and P. Schumacher, 2003).
Additional affirmation of the adverse impact of Internet use on social relationships has
been found in different studies as well. A study by Stanford Institute for the Quantitative Study
of Society of a representative sample of 4113 American adults discovered social isolation

increased with Internet use. A fourth of respondents who use the Internet over 5 hours seven
days accept their time online reduces their time with friends and family either in person or on the
telephone, and 10% say they spend less time going to social events outside the home (O'Toole,
2000).
Another, smaller study of adolescents found more noteworthy Internet use associated
with more vulnerable relationships with their parents and friends, although directionality couldn't
be determined (Sanders, Field, Diego, and Kaplan, 2000). Two limitations should be noted. First,
the results of different studies negate these findings.
Two studies of representative samples of the US populace found no decrease among

Internet users either in genius social conduct or in communication with family, friends or
professional colleagues (Robinson, Kestnbaum, Neustadtl, and Alvarez, 2000; UCLA Center for
Communication Policy, 2000), and other research has discovered that Internet use improves
existing relationships and builds new social networks (Activmedia, 1998, Katz and Aspden,
1997).
Some studies have archived a negative social effect of the Internet for a small level of
users. Second, it might be improper to causally associate decreased social contact with
loneliness. Research on loneliness has discovered that loneliness is not identified with the level
of social contact and action. Typically, loneliness is not characterized in terms of an individual's
social network, yet as the subjective experience associated with an apparent absence of
interpersonal closeness (Chelune, Sultan, and Williams, 1980).
As indicated by another research, there is some proof to support the assertion that Internet
use is detrimental, the existing studies that have established a negative relationship between's
users' prosperity and Internet usage have not demonstrated causality. The one special case is the
1998 Internet Paradox Study, which is, until this point in time, likely the most influential study in
Internet research. In the study, Kraut and colleagues enrolled 93 families who didn't have
Internet access in their homes toward the start of the study. Researchers supplied every family
with a personal PC, Internet access, and email accounts for individual relatives.
Participants' online movement was then followed over a 2-year time span. Participants
were asked toward the start of the study and again 1 after 2 years to self-evaluate their social
inclusion and psychological wellness. Researchers operationalized social inclusion to incorporate
four factors: family communication, size of local social network (individuals with whom
participants had eye to eye interactions), size of distant social network (counting eye to eye or
other disconnected communications), and social support (L. Shaw, 2002)
A study stated that psychological wellness was determined by measures of stress,

depression, and loneliness. The results showed that the Internet could to be sure negatively affect
users. Internet use was positively connected with diminishing communication between relatives
in the member households. Controlling for extroversion and bigger initial local networks,
researchers also found that participants who used the Internet more were probably going to
encounter a decrease of their local and distant social networks.
Loneliness, depression, and day by day stress were positively connected to more
noteworthy Internet usage when researchers controlled for possible mediating variables. The
researchers used way analyses to analyze every one of these findings and determined that the
Internet caused the observed effects (Kraut. R and Burke. M, 2015).
Research Question
How loneliness due to excessive use of social media is creating communication gap between
parents and children relationship in terms of trust and sharing their lives?
Methodology
For this research I used purposive sampling technique for collecting my data. I needs to select
sample of different families who are using social media including parents and children. I took
three families (14 members) to study this relationship of social media use, loneliness and their
communication gap within family members. One family was from my neighbors having three
brothers and both parents alive, another family is consist of three brothers and single parent
(mother). Third family consist of one sister and two brothers with both parents. Before taking
interviews I make sure that every member of family is using social media.
Social media are increasingly becoming a focus of discussion in the academic literature
across the globe. The current research was conducted to explore the effects of social media on
youth in contemporary Pakistan especially focusing on the change in family relations. Under the
paradigm of quantitative research methodology the researchers used purposive sampling method
with face to face interview method to collect data.
Loneliness is also main mediating variable which is the main leading variable for creating
communication gap between parents and children. Spending excessive time will makes an
individual indulge in his activity. Spending a lot of time in building and maintaining friendships
on social networking sites and using social media takes actual quality time which we have to
give to our close ones.
Communication Gap always create where people don’t talk as much as they needs to talk and
share their information. Recent studies says that parents who are spending less time those
children have trust issues, personality issues and conflict with parents due to of lack
communication. The association between social media use and family relationship is also an area
which has been researched widely across the globe. In this regards a growing concern related
with social media use has been reported to be the increasing change in the behavior and interests
of people towards their family members.
There was a time when people around the world were conscious about relationships, family
matters and their friends circle but the scenario has changed in the recent past. People who used
to give plenty of time to their families and their social circle spent hours and hours on surfing
internet or other futile activities. It has been argued that because of this plenty of families are
now lacking the close emotional pledges that build when they have close social contact.
Data Tool Authentication

This research includes face to face interview methods. Scale consist of 10 questions open
ended questions is constructed. Each question is measuring important information regarding this
issue. Every question is collecting different aspect of these variables. For developing this
questionnaire I asks for rechecking and approvals from my professors. After approvals my
questionnaire consists of ten question.
Data Analysis and Findings

Our research was based on a sample of three families including fourteen members.
Purposive sampling techniques was used for collecting its data. I choose families with whom I
already had interactions because for the researcher it should be considerable that interviewee is
giving interview in relax environment, with no hesitation. Researcher also asked them for their
consent that these interviews just conducted without any kind of pressure. Answers of the
interviewee were taken on hand written notes because interviewee felt hesitation while recording
even audio recording, some of them even refused for recording so researcher didn’t use any
electronic mean for collecting data. Estimated maximum time taken by one interviewee was 20
minutes and maximum time was one hour. Main constructs of the questionnaire which needs to
measure through the developed questionnaire includes “Time on social media, Time with
parents, Values of parents-child relation, Seriousness and respect of parents-child relation,
sharing on social media, sharing personal information with parents, accountability of realization
of communication gap with parents/children”.
Results are given in the following tables.

Tables of Interviews Content

Table 1
Questions Average Report of 1st Family Interview
1. How much time you spent in a day on Half of the waking hours.
your mobile phone?
2. Do you think you spent quality time Try to spend, busy schedule.
with your parents?
3. How many hours you spend with your Around 3-4 hours.
parents daily?
4. Do you use your mobile phone while Yes by all.
sitting with your parents?
5. Do you share your day with your No until there will be something important to
parents? share.
6. Do you share your feelings while you Not at all.
are sad or facing any issue within
family or outside the house?
7. Do you have any sharer on social Yes
media rather than in house?
8. Do you feel hesitation while doing Don’t even try to share because we don’t do
sharing with your parents? sharing from the start.
9. In your leisure time at home you Depends, but whenever we sit together daily,
prefer to sit alone or sitting with we sit with switched on TV.
parents?
10. Do you think your parents actually We don’t think so parents can understand our
knows about your problems and issues problems.
which you are facing on daily basis?
Table 2
Question No Average Report of 2nd Family Interview
1. How much time you spent in a day on Major part of the day (3/4 part of waking
your mobile phone? hours).
2. Do you think you spent quality time May be.
with your parents?
3. How many hours you spend with your Estimated 3 hours.
parents daily?
4. Do you use your mobile phone while Majority of the time.
sitting with your parents?
5. Do you share your day with your Just on child yes but rest of the children were
parents? said no.
6. Do you share your feelings while you No, we don’t our parents to indulge in our
are sad or facing any issue within personal matters.
7. Do you have any sharer on social Yes
8. Do you feel hesitation while doing Don’t even think to share, don’t think there is
sharing with your parents? any need of it.
9. In your leisure time at home you Depend, some children spent time, some were
prefer to sit alone or sitting with not.
parents? While watching TV.
10. Do you think your parents actually To some extent, but they don’t know about
knows about your problems and issues our problems because we don’t share as
which you are facing on daily basis? much. We don’t think so parents can
understand our problems.
Table 3
Question No Average Report of 3rd Family Interview
1. How much time you spent in a day on Major part of the day (3/4 part of waking
your mobile phone? hours).
2. Do you think you spent quality time Yes, to some extent.
with your parents?
3. How many hours you spend with your Daughter spend more time then sons.
parents daily?
4. Do you use your mobile phone while Every time, every second even during our
sitting with your parents? meals.
5. Do you share your day with your Big No
parents?
6. Do you share your feelings while you Discussion of family issues to some extent,
are sad or facing any issue within not personal matters.
7. Do you have any sharer on social Yes, yes
8. Do you feel hesitation while doing Every time, so even don’t try to share.
sharings with your parents? Parents cannot understand what we are going
through, they judge.
9. In your leisure time at home you Majority of them sit alone.
prefer to sit alone or sitting with
parents?
10. Do you think your parents actually To some extent, but they don’t know about
knows about your problems and issues our problems because we don’t share as
which you are facing on daily basis? much. We don’t think so parents can
understand our problems.
Results
The aim of the current study was to explore the relationship among social media usage
patterns on daily basis, loneliness and communication gap within family members. Our research
was based on a sample of three families including fourteen members. All three families were
facing conflicts because children were complaining that their parents are not giving them space
to even speak and the got judgmental over small issues so they don’t share with their parents.so
when they find no one they feel left out, so it is like attraction to communicate with the world
through their mobile . So they find listeners on social media. So they share their frustration,
issues outside the families like friends, relatives, through this research it is also conclude that
children who are having communication gap with their parents they are also having a lot of
relationship because they are in search of listeners and sharers.
Social media addiction is not currently recognized in either the Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition, (DSM-V) or the International Classification of
Diseases, 11th edition. Given the evidence outlined above, it may seem reasonable to support the
anthologizing of excessive social media use in a similar fashion leads towards excessive family
conflicts in terms of communication gaps due to loneliness within family members.
Discussion and Conclusion

Our study suggests that modes of communication with parents are differentially related to
adjustment and relationship quality. Specifically, undergrads who report increasingly supportive,
satisfying, and emotionally personal parental relationships talk to their parent on the telephone
all the more frequently. In any case, those who use a social media to speak with parents report
more elevated levels of loneliness and anxious connection, and strife inside the parental
relationship.
Although cross-sectional, this study offers insight into factors connected to using these
various channels, which is noted as a territory for future research. Interestingly, telephone usage
with parents was consistently identified with several indicators of positive relational quality with
parents.
The Theory of Electronic Propinquity offers one possible clarification. Students may incline
toward the telephone because it provides just the perfect measure of closeness, which fits with
the report that understudies see cell phones as essential tools to stay in close contact with parents
while not impinging upon their autonomy.
The provocative findings for undergrads' use of a social media with parents developed when
controlling for different forms of communication and furthermore when simply dichotomizing
participants into groups based on any measure of social media use with a parent. Descriptive
analyses demonstrated that social media are the least regular approach to speak with parents.
Besides, our results showed that social media users are all the more anxiously connected, forlorn,
and have increasingly parental clash.
Although profoundly anxious individuals' intense requirement for closeness and support may
make them inclined to apparent loneliness, our findings offer new proof on how anxiously
appended adolescents' communication with parents might be manifested among the present
undergrads. Additional data about this dynamic would be useful, such as who started contact on
the site and whether it started before school. Because individual differences in connection are
considered to start when youngsters are exceptionally youthful, understudies' anxious connection
is probably going to go before and may even persuade the use of social media with parents.
Besides, if parents themselves are also more anxiously connected, they may experience
issues with separation and might start social media use to keep up feelings of closeness to their
youngster. Although loneliness stems from less or less satisfying relationships than one might
want, our findings demonstrated that adolescents detailing social media use with parents also
report more prominent overall communication with parents.
Thus lonelier undergrads were not isolated from their parents, which may suggest that
understudies' judgments of loneliness are based on their apparent relationships from peers, and
that lonelier students may go to parents for support.
Earlier research has discovered adolescents bring about a boost in self-worth by participating
in a concise online communication with a new friend, thus supporting the principal job of peers
to adolescents' prosperity. Recognizing risks for loneliness or strategies that could decrease
feelings of loneliness is a vital undertaking given its links to more unfortunate physical and
emotional health.
Overall, our research suggests that constructs should be investigated in a longitudinal study
so that directionality can be gathered. Ideally, adolescents would be assessed before starting
school, and data from the parents (e.g., about the parents' own connection style) also would be
acquired.
Given our small and homogenous sample, additional studies should be led to look at the
generalizability of the results. Another weakness of our research is that students were not asked
about their access to these various technologies, which has previously been found to shift by
ethnicity, salary, and sexual orientation. Despite these limitations, the present study provides an
initial glimpse into the interaction between communication innovation and adjustment in the
present youthful adults and generates numerous directions for future research.
Limitations
Two limitations should be noted. First, the results of other studies contradict these findings.
Two studies of representative samples of the US population found no decline among Inter net
users either in pro-social behavior or in communication with family, friends or professional
colleagues (Robinson, Kestnbaum, Neustadtl, & Alvarez, 2000; UCLA Center for
Communication Policy, 2000), and other research has found that Internet use improves existing
relationships and builds new social networks (Activmedia, 1998, Katz & Aspden, 1997). There
are 14 members for interviews. Results with large sample size could be more precise, accurate
and generalizable for a population.
Recommendations
There are many things to explore and study critically side by side by these two variables.
Attachment styles of parent’s children relationship has strong impact for the conflict study of
parent child relationship. There are extraneous variables which should know be study for further
researches related to social media use and loneliness.
References
CAPLAN, S. E. (2007). Relations Among Loneliness, Social Anxiety,. CYBERPSYCHOLOGY
& BEHAVIOR.
CyberPsychology & Behavior 2008; 2:208–31.
Dykstra, P. A. (2007). Social and Emotional Loneliness Among Divorced and Married Men and
Women: Comparing the Deficit and Cognitive Perspectives. Basic and Applied Social
Psychology.
K, A. (2018). Levels of Loneliness and Family Structure among Geriatrics. Journal of Forensic
Psychology .
MOODY, E. J. (2001). Internet Use and Its Relationship to Loneliness. CYBERPSYCHOLOGY

& BEHAVIOR.
Parks, M. R. (2011). Making Friends in Cyberspace. Wiley Online Library .
Reid DJ, Reid FJM. Text or talk? Social anxiety, loneliness, and divergent preferences for cell
Phone use. Cyber Psychology & Behavior 2007; 10:424–35. 7.
Sum S, Mathews RM, Hughes I, et al. Internet use and loneliness in older adults.
S, K. (2018). Levels of Loneliness and Family Structure. Forensic Psychology.
Savci, M. (2016). Relationship between Impulsivity, Social Media Usage and Loneliness .
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Yavich, R. (2019). Social Media and Loneliness - Forever connected? Higher Education
Studies;.Use the "Insert Citation" button to add citations to this document.
Appendix
1. 1How much time you spent in a day on your mobile phone?

2. Do you think you spent quality time with your parents?
3. How many hours you spend with your parents daily?
4. Do you use your mobile phone while sitting with your parents?
5. Do you share your day with your parents?
6. Do you share your feelings while you are sad or facing any issue within family or outside
the house?
7. Do you have any sharer on social media rather than in house?
8. Do you feel hesitation while doing sharing with your parents?
9. In your leisure time at home you prefer to sit alone or sitting with parents?
10. Do you think your parents actually knows about your problems and issues which you are
facing on daily basis?

Social Media and Loneliness: Cause of Communication Gap Among Parents and Children Relationship

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Running Head: SOCIAL MEDIA AND LONELINESS: CAUSE OF COMMUNICATION GAP

AMONG PARENTS AND CHILDREN RELATIONSHIP 1

SOCIAL MEDIA AND LONELINESS: CAUSE OF COMMUNICATION

Faiza Mubeen, Dr. Moazzam Naseer

Psychological Effects of Excessive Use of Internet

Computer Mediated Communication

Loneliness is considered a huge danger component for intellectual contamination

contributes to the improvement of loneliness is of remarkable significance to the prevention of

Online Relation and Social Relations through Social Networking Sites

Social media and its Relationship with Loneliness

Here is an instantaneous dating between age and loneliness. Loneliness is an emotional

Social Media Use Causes Loneliness among adults

Further, online communication fosters technological alienation, making barriers between

Internet and Social Relationship

As indicated by the affirmed hypothesis of another study, social media usage

. In a meta-analysis directed by Tokunaga and Rains, it was suggested that internet

Further, online communication fosters technological alienation, making barriers between

of Society of a representative sample of 4113 American adults discovered social isolation

Two studies of representative samples of the US populace found no decrease among

A study stated that psychological wellness was determined by measures of stress,

Data Tool Authentication

Data Analysis and Findings

Results are given in the following tables.

Tables of Interviews Content

Discussion and Conclusion

CyberPsychology & Behavior 2008; 2:208–31.

MOODY, E. J. (2001). Internet Use and Its Relationship to Loneliness. CYBERPSYCHOLOGY

Parks, M. R. (2011). Making Friends in Cyberspace. Wiley Online Library .

Phone use. Cyber Psychology & Behavior 2007; 10:424–35. 7.

S, K. (2018). Levels of Loneliness and Family Structure. Forensic Psychology.

1. 1How much time you spent in a day on your mobile phone?

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