(NewsNation) — One of America’s top health officials is warning of an epidemic of loneliness that he hopes the country can work together to combat.

About half of U.S. adults say they’re lonely, according to a new report from U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. The 81-page report report released Tuesday says loneliness poses as much risk as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.

“The risk of anxiety, depression and suicide go up when you’re struggling with social disconnection, but also the risk of heart disease and dementia go up as well,” Murthy said Tuesday on “Elizabeth Vargas Reports.”

The declaration is intended to raise awareness around loneliness, but won’t unlock federal funding or programming devoted to combatting the issue.

Murthy pointed to a lack of connectedness within American society and called for change on both an institutional and individual level. He emphasized simple steps people can take, such as taking 15 minutes out of the day to reach out to someone or putting away phones at the dinner table.

“The thing I’ve realized is that in the moments where I actually put my devices away and talk to someone, even if I talk to them for less time, I feel so much better,” Murthy said. “I feel like the connection is much deeper and you know what, they feel it too.”

People culled their friend groups during the coronavirus pandemic and reduced time spent with those friends, the surgeon general’s report finds. Americans spent about 20 minutes a day in person with friends in 2020, down from 60 minutes daily nearly two decades earlier.

The loneliness epidemic is hitting young people, ages 15 to 24, especially hard. The age group reported a 70% drop in time spent with friends during the same period.

Loneliness increases the risk of premature death by nearly 30%, with the report revealing that those with poor social relationships also had a greater risk of stroke and heart disease.

“This is a universal struggle, one that we shouldn’t be afraid to talk about,” Murthy said. “We (have to) recognize that kindness and generosity, service and love, these are the bedrocks for strong relationships, strong lives and strong families.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.