Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Loneliness is more than a feeling — it’s a growing public health issue with real physical and emotional consequences. Lucy Rose, Founder and President of The Cost of Loneliness Project, joins us in a timely conversation about chronic loneliness, connection and health.
We explore why children and young adults report some of the highest rates of loneliness, how loneliness can become intergenerational, and the critical differences between digital communication and real human connection. Lucy also examines the role — and limits — of AI and technology, and shares what parents, clinicians, schools and communities can do to help build a culture of connection.
Featuring:
Lucy Rose, Founder & President, The Cost of Loneliness Project
Host/Producer: Carol Vassar
00:00 – Welcome to Well Beyond Medicine
00:12 – Why 85% of child health happens outside the doctor’s office
00:36 – Meet Lucy Rose and the Cost of Loneliness Project
01:00 – What chronic loneliness really means
01:39 – Why loneliness is an invisible public health crisis
02:38 – The paradox of being digitally connected but emotionally isolated
03:40 – The physical, emotional, and economic costs of loneliness
05:15 – Communication vs. real human connection
06:51 – Who is most affected by chronic loneliness? (It’s not seniors)
07:42 – How parental loneliness impacts children
08:53 – Recognizing grief, transitions, and hidden loneliness
10:14 – How to support someone experiencing chronic loneliness
11:41 – Signs a child may be struggling with loneliness
12:48 – Can AI help alleviate loneliness—or make it worse?
14:44 – Why technology can’t replace human connection
15:08 – Can empathy be programmed into AI?
16:20 – Can kids tell the difference between AI and real relationships?
18:01 – Ethics, regulation, and the risks of AI companionship
20:04 – Structural and environmental causes of childhood loneliness
22:24 – Schools, teachers, and physicians as part of the solution
24:45 – Lucy Rose’s personal journey with loneliness
26:21 – The future vision for the Cost of Loneliness Project
27:59 – How listeners can get involved and take action
Thanks for listening to Well Beyond Medicine: The Nemours Children’s Health Podcast. How do you go well beyond medicine in your own life or community? How do you celebrate it?
🎙️ Share your story or leave us a voicemail: speakpipe.com/NemoursWellBeyond
Your message could be featured in a future episode.
🌐 Listen to more episodes and explore the podcast: nemourswellbeyond.org
📩 Sign up for our monthly newsletter for new episodes, stories, and updates: nemourswellbeyond.org/news
Follow Nemours Children’s Health:
Instagram: instagram.com/nemours
X (Twitter): twitter.com/Nemours
Facebook: facebook.com/Nemours
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/nemours
Well Beyond Medicine: The Nemours Children’s Health Podcast explores children’s health, pediatric care, health equity, mental health, social determinants of health, and health care innovation—from food security and community-based care to meeting families where they are with accessible health and wellness resources. We highlight the people and ideas shaping the future of pediatric health care and building the healthiest generations of children ever.
#WellBeyondMedicine #NemoursChildrensHealth #Pediatrics #ChildrensHealth #HealthEquity #HealthcareInnovation #MentalHealth #socialdeterminantsofhealth
Loneliness is more than a feeling — it’s a growing public health issue with real physical and emotional consequences. Lucy Rose, Founder and President of The Cost of Loneliness Project, joins us in a timely conversation about chronic loneliness, connection and health.
We explore why children and young adults report some of the highest rates of loneliness, how loneliness can become intergenerational, and the critical differences between digital communication and real human connection. Lucy also examines the role — and limits — of AI and technology, and shares what parents, clinicians, schools and communities can do to help build a culture of connection.
Featuring:
Lucy Rose, Founder & President, The Cost of Loneliness Project
Host/Producer: Carol Vassar
00:00 – Welcome to Well Beyond Medicine
00:12 – Why 85% of child health happens outside the doctor’s office
00:36 – Meet Lucy Rose and the Cost of Loneliness Project
01:00 – What chronic loneliness really means
01:39 – Why loneliness is an invisible public health crisis
02:38 – The paradox of being digitally connected but emotionally isolated
03:40 – The physical, emotional, and economic costs of loneliness
05:15 – Communication vs. real human connection
06:51 – Who is most affected by chronic loneliness? (It’s not seniors)
07:42 – How parental loneliness impacts children
08:53 – Recognizing grief, transitions, and hidden loneliness
10:14 – How to support someone experiencing chronic loneliness
11:41 – Signs a child may be struggling with loneliness
12:48 – Can AI help alleviate loneliness—or make it worse?
14:44 – Why technology can’t replace human connection
15:08 – Can empathy be programmed into AI?
16:20 – Can kids tell the difference between AI and real relationships?
18:01 – Ethics, regulation, and the risks of AI companionship
20:04 – Structural and environmental causes of childhood loneliness
22:24 – Schools, teachers, and physicians as part of the solution
24:45 – Lucy Rose’s personal journey with loneliness
26:21 – The future vision for the Cost of Loneliness Project
27:59 – How listeners can get involved and take action
Thanks for listening to Well Beyond Medicine: The Nemours Children’s Health Podcast. How do you go well beyond medicine in your own life or community? How do you celebrate it?
🎙️ Share your story or leave us a voicemail: speakpipe.com/NemoursWellBeyond
Your message could be featured in a future episode.
🌐 Listen to more episodes and explore the podcast: nemourswellbeyond.org
📩 Sign up for our monthly newsletter for new episodes, stories, and updates: nemourswellbeyond.org/news
Follow Nemours Children’s Health:
Instagram: instagram.com/nemours
X (Twitter): twitter.com/Nemours
Facebook: facebook.com/Nemours
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/nemours
Well Beyond Medicine: The Nemours Children’s Health Podcast explores children’s health, pediatric care, health equity, mental health, social determinants of health, and health care innovation—from food security and community-based care to meeting families where they are with accessible health and wellness resources. We highlight the people and ideas shaping the future of pediatric health care and building the healthiest generations of children ever.
#WellBeyondMedicine #NemoursChildrensHealth #Pediatrics #ChildrensHealth #HealthEquity #HealthcareInnovation #MentalHealth #socialdeterminantsofhealth
