Half of all teenagers and young people believe their grandparents have a better social life than them and more friends.
A new survey has revealed how hard good friends are to come by in the digital age for under 25s.
It has found 50 per cent say their parents and grandparents have a better social life.
And they admit they find it hard to meet new pals in IRL (in real life) despite having hundreds of online followers.
Even older people in their 30s and 40s say they only have six people in their lives they truly connect with, according to the poll by ASK Italian.
Overall, 44 percent of Brits under the Gen Z and millennial age range (44 and under) say it’s harder for their generation to socialise in the real world, due to the added layer of digital communication.
Four in ten feel like they are missing out on real-life connections and admit to feeling lonely.
Reasons younger people give for not making friends in the real world include social anxiety (42 percent), too busy with work (33 percent), being more comfortable talking online, (28 percent), low self-confidence (22 percent) and not knowing where to go to meet new people (22 percent) .
Celebrities young people say they would most like to be best friends with include Ryan Reynolds (16 percent), Taylor Swift (12 percent), Dawn French (12 percent), David Beckham (11 percent), Jennifer Aniston (11 percent), Idris Elba (10 percent) and Alison Hammond (nine percent).
Restaurant chain ASK Italian, which commissioned the survey of 2,000 Brits, is launching a dedicated moment for friends to come together, Friendsay Wednesday. Every Wednesday at ASK Italian, the national restaurant group will be offering friends, both new and old, some freebies, to encourage them to make time for each other and create memorable moments.
Caitlin Hoey, Senior Brand Manager at ASK Italian explains, “We know it can be hard to gain and keep your friends in adulthood, which sees us being pulled in different directions to friends, such as moving across the country to follow your dreams or the demands of developing your career, plus the added complexities of social media – it’s tough out there. The research we commissioned showcases the intricacies of modern adult friendship and why our new Feeding Friendship Initiative is so important. We want to help friends to swap social media for a social life and make time for each other.”
