loneliness

A voter is silhouetted as he casts an early ballot for the California gubernatorial recall election at a vote center, Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021, in Norwalk, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Health

Anxiety, social media: How loneliness strikes in a connected world - and in South Florida

Ammy Sanchez

More than half of Americans say they feel lonely, and folks here in South Florida are no exception. That’s according to a new report from Cigna Healthcare. WLRN’s Ammy Sanchez spoke with Dr. Marco Vitiello, medical senior director at Cigna Healthcare, who explained what loneliness means for our community.

A conversation between Swell Setzer III and a chatbot on Character.AI displayed on his mother’s laptop in New York, Oct. 13, 2024. The mother of Setzer, who was 14-years-old when he killed himself in February, says he became obsessed with a chatbot on Character.AI before his death.

Science & Technology

Can AI be blamed for a teen’s suicide?

Kevin Roose | The New York Times

The mother of a 14-year-old Florida boy says he became obsessed with a chatbot on Character.AI before his death.

A woman on a couch next to a tabletop device.

Health

Chatty robot helps Broward seniors fight loneliness through AI companionship

Terry Spencer | Associated Press

ElliQ is a tabletop device that uses artificial intelligence to conduct humanlike conversations with its owners. Its creators have designed the device for senior citizens who live alone.

Loneliness is on the rise in the U.S., particularly among younger people, such as members of Generation Z, born between the mid-1990s and the early 2000s, and millennials, just a little bit older.

Americans Are A Lonely Lot, And Young People Bear The Heaviest Burden

Rhitu Chatterjee

A nationwide survey by health insurer Cigna finds that loneliness is widespread in America. Millennials and people in Generation Z tend to feel lonelier than retirees.