News Maybe it is the phone, after all: Teen loneliness soars as Gen Z’s in-person contact drops March 20, 2019 Jayne O'Donnell, USA TODAY Comments Off on Maybe it is the phone, after all: Teen loneliness soars as Gen Z’s in-person contact drops The percent of high school seniors who said they often felt lonely increased from 26 percent in 2012 to 39 percent in 2017.