Parents Are Lonelier Than Ever. Here's Why It Matters — and What Actually Helps

Parenting has always been hard. But a growing body of research says something specific has changed: today's parents aren't just busy or tired — many of them are lonely. So lonely, in fact, that the nation's top public health official has called it out by name.

If you're a Las Vegas parent looking for things to do with kids that don't leave you feeling even more alone, this one's for you.

Loneliness is now officially a public health issue

In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory declaring loneliness and isolation an epidemic in the United States. The advisory found that the mortality impact of being socially disconnected is similar to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, and linked poor social connection to a 29% higher risk of heart disease and a 32% higher risk of stroke.

A year later, in 2024, the Surgeon General followed up with a second advisory focused entirely on parents, titled Parents Under Pressure. It named "an epidemic of loneliness that disproportionately affects young people and parents" as one of the new stressors today's roughly 63 million U.S. parents living with children under 18 are facing.

What the numbers say

The data behind that advisory is striking:

• About 65% of parents and guardians reported experiencing loneliness, compared with 55% of non-parents (2021 national survey by Cigna, cited in the advisory).
• Among single parents, that number rises to 77%.
• 42% of lonely parents said they always felt left out, compared with 24% of lonely non-parents.
• 48% of parents say that most days their stress is completely overwhelming, compared with 26% of other adults (American Psychological Association, 2023).

A separate 2024 national survey from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center found similar results: roughly two-thirds of parents said the demands of parenthood leave them feeling isolated and lonely, 62% said they feel burned out by their parenting responsibilities, and 38% said they have no one to support them in their parenting role.

If you've felt this way, you're not failing at parenting. You're in the majority.

Why is this happening?

The Surgeon General's advisory points to several pressures stacking up at once:

• More time working and more time parenting — and less time for anything else. Mothers' average weekly work hours rose from 20.9 in 1985 to 26.7 in 2022. Over the same period, time spent on hands-on child care rose 40% for mothers and 154% for fathers. The advisory notes this has come at the cost of time with partners, sleep, and parents' own leisure time.
• The loss of "the village." Many parents no longer have extended family or friends nearby who share in the day-to-day work of raising kids. As the Surgeon General put it in an interview with NPR, many parents have lost their village.
• A culture of comparison. The advisory describes an intensifying culture of comparison, often fueled by social media, that leaves many families feeling exhausted and perpetually behind.

Why it matters for kids, too

This isn't only about parents. The advisory is clear that the well-being of parents and caregivers is directly linked to the well-being of their children, and that stress parents carry is passed to children in direct and indirect ways. It also identifies social support networks as one of the protective factors that can buffer those effects.

In other words: when parents are more connected, kids benefit.

What the research says helps

The Surgeon General's recommendations don't stop at diagnosing the problem. A few that stand out for everyday families:

• Create opportunities for parents to come together. The advisory calls for fostering "a culture of connection among parents" and creating opportunities for parents and caregivers to share experiences and support each other. Its summary: caregivers need care, too.
• Invest in places where families can gather. Both advisories call for strengthening "social infrastructure" — the physical places, like parks, green spaces, libraries, and playgrounds, where people naturally connect.
• Connect with parents at different stages. The advisory encourages parents to seek out relationships with parents of children across age groups, as a source of shared experience and practical wisdom.
• Make connection a routine, not an event. For friends and family of parents, it suggests simple, regular touchpoints — like a weekly walk or a standing check-in call.
• Go easy on yourself. The advisory reminds parents that it's impossible to get parenting right all the time, and that caring for yourself is part of caring for your family.

Things to do with kids in Las Vegas that bring families together

Hopscotch started from a simple observation: kids need safe places to play, and parents need places where they can actually be together.

Hopscotch is a Las Vegas marketplace where families can book private backyards and activity spaces by the hour, hosted by local neighbors. Every Hopscotch host goes through identity and background verification before their space can go live — a review built directly into how listings get approved, not an optional step. Every visit is parent-supervised — you stay with your kids — which makes a booking a natural reason to invite another family or two along. We'll also be hosting community events designed to help parents meet other parents with kids in the same age range.

We don't think a backyard can solve a national public health problem on its own. But the research is clear that connection happens in places — and right now, too many families don't have enough of them.

Hopscotch is live in Las Vegas. Browse spaces →

Not in Las Vegas? Request Hopscotch in your city and we'll let you know when we arrive.

Have a backyard or activity space your neighbors' kids would love? Become a Hopscotch host and earn money from space you're not using.

If you're struggling, you don't have to handle it alone. If you're pregnant or a new parent, you can call or text the free, confidential National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262), available 24/7 in English and Spanish. If you're in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Sources

• U.S. Surgeon General, Parents Under Pressure: The U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory on the Mental Health & Well-Being of Parents (2024)
• U.S. Surgeon General, Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation (2023)
• NPR, "Parental stress is a significant public health issue, surgeon general advisory says" (Aug. 29, 2024)
• NPR, "America has a loneliness epidemic. Here are 6 steps to address it" (May 2, 2023)
• OSF HealthCare, "Parents are feeling the loneliness epidemic" (Sept. 25, 2024), reporting The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center survey