TalkWithStrangersResearch on Talking to Strangers, Loneliness and Online Safety
The TalkWithStrangers.club Research hub collects what science, public-health bodies and law enforcement say about talking to strangers, loneliness and online safety. Every figure links to its original source, and every page shows a last-reviewed date.
Try TalkWithStrangers.clubResearch on Talking to Strangers: Studies and Data
| Page | What's inside |
|---|---|
| The Science of Talking to Strangers | Four landmark studies: solitude, weak ties, the liking gap, deep conversation |
| Loneliness Statistics 2026 | WHO, US HHS and LSHTM figures in one table |
| Omegle Shutdown Timeline | Dates, traffic, lawsuit and lessons |
| Online Safety Laws for Chat Sites | The UK Online Safety Act and what it means |
| State of Random Chat 2026 | The market after Omegle, in verified numbers |
| Random Chat Safety Report 2026 | Scams, image-based blackmail and what platforms must do |
| TalkWithStrangers.club Conversation Report | Our own anonymised platform data, published quarterly |
Key Numbers at a Glance
| Number | What it is | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1 in 6 | People worldwide affected by loneliness | WHO report record |
| 871,000+ | Deaths a year linked to loneliness | WHO |
| 50 million | Omegle visitors in its last month | TechCrunch |
| 13,000+ | US reports of image-based blackmail of minors, Oct 2021–Mar 2023 | FBI |
| $1.14 billion | US romance scam losses reported, 2023 | FTC |
| ~60% | Share of daily interactions that are with weak ties | Social and Personality Psychology Compass |
| 50 / 90 / 200 | Hours to become casual friends / friends / close friends | University of Kansas |
Our Standards
We only publish figures we can link to a primary or reputable secondary source. We never publish invented user counts. Our own data reports state sample size, period and method.
For Journalists
You may quote any figure with a link to the page. For our own data, contact [email protected].
How Each Page Is Built
Every research page states its key finding first, then the data in a table with a source link in every row, then context and limitations. We review pages regularly and update the "last reviewed" date when anything changes.
Topics We Cover
Talking to strangers and wellbeing; loneliness and social connection; online safety and regulation; the history of random chat; and anonymised data from our own platform.
Most-Cited Pages
Journalists and researchers most often use our loneliness statistics, Omegle shutdown timeline and science of talking to strangers pages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Quote any figure with a link to the page and its original source.
Regularly; each page shows its last-reviewed date.