Why are so many young people less social than they used to be?

[Joe_D]

I think you answered your own question. Much of our development in today's culture is influenced heavily by technology. Now you can be connected and have "friends", without really having to interact with them as real people, and develop interpersonal skills needed to support healthy relationships. It's hard to be able to carry on conversations and to think in any deep way, when we're used to thinking in short 140 character thoughts. The sense of time also speeds up. Who has time to think, talk, and just interact?

Earlier in time, people would sit together and just talk with each other; nowadays people sit together and text other people. An exaggeration maybe, but not unusual.

There's certainly more to the story, but you're right in pointing out the technology.