Teaching materials for families

Unwanted loneliness is a major problem, as shown by the Social Perception Report on Unwanted Loneliness carried out by the State Observatory of Unwanted Loneliness in 2023, and promoted by the ONCE Foundation.

Unwanted loneliness particularly affects young people. Some data that we cannot ignore are:

Situations of unwanted loneliness can be prevented from an early age

What can families do?

Take care of the social relationships of our children

  • Explain that it is more positive to have face-to-face friendships in real life, and let them know the value that friendship has in their lives.
  • Put quality in relationships before quantity.
  • Explain that having only online relationships can affect the rest of their social relationships.
  • Promote, from home, meeting up with other families or friends to motivate them to do the same with their peers, looking for alternatives to using social networks.
  • Seek fluid communication in the family as a tool to strengthen relationships with their peers and to detect warning signs.
  • Facilitate meetings and conversations where you can give them information and advice to prevent cyberbullying situations or monitor experiences they have with their peers on networks and be able to detect possible risks.

Promote emotional education

  • Give them confidence to identify their feelings and emotional state.
  • Encourage them to express their thoughts, tastes and needs.
  • Accompany them in their emotional experiences, tolerate frustration and learn to regulate their emotions.
  • Take care of their self-esteem and consolidate their personality, promoting their self-motivation.
  • Work on empathy and active listening to improve their assertiveness.

Educate in diversity

  • Work on empathy and respect for others.
  • Do not discriminate against other groups, valuing their participation in society.
  • Promote solidarity and mutual trust towards peers.
  • Work on social skills to improve their interaction with society.
  • Encourage family leisure time to watch series, documentaries, films or content that highlights the diversity of society.
  • Find spaces to carry out family activities that serve to strengthen ties and generate trust, while promoting social skills; enriching themselves with a greater variety of conversation topics and activities to share with their peers.

Encourage them to actively participate in their neighborhood or town

  • Participate in associations and cultural centres.
  • Support healthy leisure and recreational activities, especially in group sports or leisure activities, as well as artistic or musical activities.
  • Encourage them to participate in the design of activities, reinforcing their role in the community dimension.
  • Show interest in their hobbies, interests and motivations so that they form part of their daily or community activities.
  • Provide them with opportunities to have a wide range of experiences.
  • Encourage autonomy in their daily life activities and encourage decision-making on aspects that affect their development.