Social Isolation - What Is It and Why Should You Avoid It?

We all experienced the COVID-19 pandemic. We all remember what it feels like to be lonely, to have no one to see or talk to. We’ve all experienced social isolation, in one way or another. And yet, we survived. COVID ended, and we went back to school. We saw our friends again, we rejoined clubs and sports, and our social lives returned for the better. But some people continued struggling.

The definition of social isolation is a state in which the individual lacks a sense of belonging socially, lacks engagement with others, has a minimal number of social contacts, and may be deficient in fulfilling and quality relationships.

Social isolation is often the root or the result of underlying mental health problems like depression or anxiety. In the words of 8th grader Annabelle Cotterman, “I feel like it could go two ways: The obvious one being not talking to anyone or engaging with people outside of when needed, being a real introvert and never wanting/never being around people except for once a century. Then there's the person who talks all the time and looks like they have millions of friends but never talks to them outside of school that feels lonely because they don't know who they are or who they truly are friends with. Either way, those people might end up alone for the rest of life because they never learned how to be comfortable with other people. It can also make people more likely to commit suicide or become depressed due to lack of interaction with other humans or expressing of their feelings.”

Annabelle is right, social isolation can take on many different forms, and its effects can be deadly. It isn’t always obvious to everyone that another person is socially isolated, whether by choice or by force. In fact, 81.5% of Ken West students polled said that at one point they were socially isolated. Out of those students, 14.8% believe that they are still in social isolation, and 33.3% aren’t completely sure. 

Many students who have experienced social isolation experienced it because of the pandemic, like junior Jack Lamotte. Social isolation for him was “being cooped up at home while there's a virus outside. No one goes to school, it's all on Zoom or whatever app teachers liked using. I just don't ever wanna go through that again, because while sure there are some good memories, it can really stunt a child's growth mentally if they are unable to even be around their peers.” This is true. 

The pandemic was detrimental to the development of hundreds of thousands of children all across the world, and its effects haven’t just vanished overnight. From the National Library of Medicine on the effects of COVID-19 on children, “The generation of children with their age-specific experience of the COVID-19 pandemic needs to be followed and assessed for effects on their neurodevelopment, educational attainment, social development, physical and mental health, and for the impact on their future employment, terminal educational achievements, and life-long mental and physical health. Investigators of child development of any pediatric condition…need to include the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their cohorts and how that may be a factor affecting different elements of child outcome.” 

Of course, social isolation hasn’t just come from the pandemic, and those stories are more personal and specific to the individual. Luckily, I got the chance to interview senior Kaelin Talamo, who has a lot to say on the topic. “I myself have anxiety and depression, I have medication.  It's helped a lot. My social isolation was intense for many years. It's better now, but I still isolate myself a lot. I feel like if someone is socially isolating themselves, it can be a big warning sign that they are really struggling and need help and that they can't express it.  It's something people should be a little more vigilant about.” Kaelin understands the depth of problems that social isolation can cause for teens and has ideas on how to help. 

Like many others, Kaelin’s thoughts centered around inclusion and welcoming others into your community. “Reaching out and spending more time with friends helped me get out of social isolation. Because I was already comfortable with my friends it was easier to talk to them and they pushed me to interact with new people,” said junior Patrick Kinsella. “People in the school community should be implementing more inclusive regulations,”  said junior Sophia Penrose. 

What can be done on a large scale? It’s hard to isolate just one problem out of many that result in or are a cause of social isolation. Truthfully, there isn’t one answer. With problems that are so complex and intertwined with mental health, like this one, it can be hard to know what to do. Kaelin has the same opinion. “Making sure that everyone feels included, and that there's open communication. Which can be hard. If effort is there it makes things easier. People should be kinder. I think it’s just similar on a larger scale, just harder to do. People in leadership positions can do more to be accepting and welcoming.” Everyone wishes that there was one clear-cut answer, but there isn’t. The best you can do is be kind and look out for others.

As Kaelin said, “People should be nicer and less judgmental. Invite someone into your group if they look lonely or upset. Just be a kind human.”