Loneliness is real and it is often cause by our inability to interact with other people. To some people who believe in class may not necessarily want to discuss anything with those that are below them and I believe this happen everywhere as it is not limited a region or locality. There are a lot of factors is responsible for those and I can say that it is not that rampant in African because of the way our communities is built although recently it has changed significantly with the advent of technology and shift in the social class. Like you said a lot of people believe make social media their safe haven where they get whatever comfort they believe in.
There is the saying in Africa (somewhere) that "it takes a village to raise a child", but I get the sense that these days, the village is so fractured, so broken, that there isn't much support to raise a child well. Perhaps it is part of the problem.