socially

“For too long parents have had this impossible choice between giving in and getting their child an addictive device or seeing their child isolated and feeling left out socially,” Ms Friedlander says.

He said Woodward was a socially awkward young man who suffered for years with undiagnosed autism and felt a “starvation for human connection” exploited by the extremist group.

All three can also be self-reinforcing over time: people who are lonely and socially isolated may become frailer, and as they become frailer, their sense of isolation and loneliness grows.

This included people who believed cannabis use wouldn't interfere with their responsibilities, or it was considered socially acceptable, so they would continue their consumption patterns.

“We just felt like there was nowhere for us to go socially or things like that, where Poppy and I felt comfortable, certainly not where we lived,” she said.