Dear AJPM  reader,

As the new year gets underway, we’re pleased to highlight a recently published AJPM article,   Social Media Use and Perceived Social Isolation Among Young Adults in the U.S., featured in the 2017 Almetric Top 100 listing . Altmetric tracks and analyzes online activity on academic research. This article ranked #73 out of 2.2 million scholarly articles reviewed in 2017, making it the most discussed AJPM article of the year. In their survey of young American adults, study authors Primack et al. found an association between higher social media use and reported feelings of social isolation. Questions remain—do individuals tend to go online more when they feel socially isolated, or does spending more time on social media make people feel lonely? Additional studies are needed but what is clear is the growing evidence that shows over-dependence on social media is detrimental to real-world relationships and our health.   

We hope you enjoy this article, available free to read on our website for the next few months, as well as our January issue . Happy New Year!

Yours in prevention and health,


Matthew L. Boulton, MD, MPH
Editor-in-Chief

American Journal of Preventive Medicine