My Teen Has No Friends: Loneliness, Friendship and How Parents Can Explain & Model the Skill

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We all want our children to have great friendships, and often questions from parents who say 'My teen has no friends. What should I do?'

I've been left wondering if we are missing one of the most important ways to help them. If we're not good at making and maintaining friends ourselves, who will our babies learn their friendship skills from?

In this episode of Teenagers Untangled, I’m joined by author, broadcaster, and founder of The Friendship Lab, Sheridan Voysey, to unpack why 20–25% of adults now say they have no close friends, how that impacts our teens’ mental health, and what we can actually do about it. 

We explore the five stages of friendship, why busyness, smartphones, and constant mobility are eroding our connections, and the simple, intentional steps parents can take to help their tweens and teens build deep, lasting relationships.

Whether your child is struggling to find “their people,” stuck on the surface with classmates, or hiding behind screens, this conversation will give you practical language, science-backed insight, and real-life ideas for modelling healthy friendships at home. If you care about your teen’s confidence, wellbeing, resilience, and sense of belonging, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

Contact the Friendship Lab

The Friendship Lab Course

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