It might seem vaguely ludicrous that the generation that grew up in the “social” world, graduating from Bebo and MySpace to Facebook and Instagram, has trouble with loneliness. But among millennials, it’s incredibly common. One YouGov poll found that nearly a quarter of all millennials could not name a single friend. The same survey showed that close to a third of this generation – my generation – “always” or “often” feel lonely.

Loneliness is hard to address because it can be symptomatic of other forms of emotional turmoil – depression, for instance. Although feeling lonely is not a mental illness in its own right, the two are often strongly linked, and it is often a complex response to perceived isolation or lack of social connection. The fact that it is invisible – and that there is still considerable stigma attached to it – compounds the problem.

It perhaps makes sense that loneliness is especially taboo among those whose friendships ostensibly number in the thousands. But this is part of the problem: in fact, the connection between loneliness and social media is well established. For all their virtues, we know that social media platforms exploit the psychology of the user to keep that user glued to the screen. Having grown up with (and to at least some extent been shaped by) social media, millennials have been especially vulnerable to its worst psychological effects, such as creating an illusory impression of connection and the sense that everyone else is living an impossibly rich, varied and active life. And this, unsurprisingly, can translate to a feeling of loneliness in the real world.

GPs should consider 'prescribing' millennials social activities to tackle these feelings of isolation

Of course, millennials don’t have the monopoly on social isolation; older people are also increasingly feeling lonely. I’m fortunate: I have many close relationships, a family and a job. But when seemingly happy friends started telling me they were lonely and lost, I signed up to be a volunteer counsellor with Shout, a 24/7 text service for people in crisis.

But much more needs to be done with millennials specifically in mind. In addition to more counselling, GPs should consider “prescribing” millennials social activities to tackle these feelings of isolation. Book clubs, sports teams and meet-ups can all help young people build face-to-face relationships, as well as digital ones they already have on social media.

Despite what you might read, millennials are generally resourceful, passionate, imaginative people. We are entirely capable of facing up to the challenges of the coming years. But we also need to recognise the limits of social media in providing genuine relationships and preventing loneliness. Technology has transformed our lives and mostly for the better, but it is not a panacea – and we need to recognise that.

• Harry Readhead is a freelance journalist, ghostwriter and book critic