It's not uncommon for Hunter school counsellor Karen Jubb to hear students say they don't have any friends.
"As a mum I find that heartbreaking," Ms Jubb said.
In her more than 20 years as a teacher and more than three as a registered psychologist, Ms Jubb said her students seem lonelier than ever.
She was determined to find new ways to help.
The Shortland Public School and Hunter School of the Performing Arts counsellor was one of 14 educators to win a NSW Premier's Teacher Scholarship.
Ms Jubb was planning on using the $15,000 grant money for a five-week study tour to go to London, Manchester, Indianapolis and Los Angeles to look at interventions to reduce loneliness.
She felt Australia was falling behind in innovative methods to address loneliness in school-aged children.
She pointed to BeeWell, a Manchester-based program that dropped student loneliness by 10 per cent, as well as their use of social prescribing, where schools and the broader community work together to help children form connections.
"Loneliness is not just being alone, it is the negative experiences that come about because your social interactions are not what you want them to be," she said.
Across both primary and high schoolers, Ms Jubb said students were saying they don't feel connected or people do not understand them.
"Even in groups, kids can be lonely, but they are the hidden ones because it isn't obvious to teachers," she said.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found that 13 per cent of people aged 15-24 reported loneliness in 2024, which was consistent with pre-2020 levels, while 17 per cent experienced social isolation.
In their 2024 report, however, Ending Loneliness Together, a national network of mental health organisations, found that loneliness in young Australians had been rising steadily since 2008.
They found that one in three emerging adults and one in six adolescents experienced intense or persistent loneliness in 2024.
Nearly three in four young people aged 15-25 who reported feeling isolated or lonely also experienced high or very high levels of psychological distress, the report found.
Social isolation refers to the objective fact of having fewer opportunities for social interaction, while loneliness is the feeling of distress when social relationships feel inadequate.
Ms Jubb said despite the growing recognition of loneliness as a major health issue, intervention in school-aged populations was relatively limited.
"The young people who are experiencing loneliness are actually overtaking the elderly," she said.
She said students who experience chronic loneliness could have poor education outcomes, depression, anxiety and non-attendance.
"I think it is important that there is no stigma attached to loneliness so kids can hopefully reach out and report how they are feeling," she said.
Singleton Heights Public School teacher Casey West was another Hunter recipient of the study scholarships.
The Wonnarua woman was passionate about Aboriginal education.
"It is an opportunity for me to take something that I'm really passionate about and have the time and support to explore it more deeply," Ms West said.
She was planning to visit New Zealand as well as different regional, rural and outback communities in Australia.
"I want to know how schools engage effectively and authentically with Aboriginal communities," she said.
