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We’re a Teen Residential Treatment Facility in Arizona & Idaho, offering support for teens and resources to help parents navigate their child’s challenges.
It’s okay to feel concerned if your teen doesn’t seem to have close friends or a social life. In this guide, you’ll learn what might be going on, how to support him without putting pressure on him, and steps you can take to gently encourage a connection.
Key takeaways
- Many teen boys struggle with friendship, sometimes because of anxiety, ADHD, bullying, or difficulty expressing emotions.
- Being from a different culture, figuring out their identity, or spending too much time on screens can make them feel alone.
- Making friends is like a skill you help him by showing him how and letting him practice.
- Keep your home calm and welcoming so he feels safe being himself.
- Joining a small club can boost his confidence and help him connect with others.
Why your son may have no social life
Teen boys often struggle with friendship for many reasons. Mental health, behavior patterns, and social norms can all play a role. Understanding these factors may help you support your son:
Emotional health challenges
A UK study of over 26,000 teens found that boys struggling with anxiety or depression were more likely to lose friends over time and become targets of bullying.
Another study found that for autistic boys, it’s not autism itself but struggles like anxiety or sadness that are linked to having fewer close friendships.
These emotional struggles often make teen boys:
- Avoid social situations: He may turn down invitations or keep to himself, even when he wants to make a connection.
- Withdraw after bullying: Being targeted can increase fear and distrust, pushing him further away from peers.
- Lose touch with friends: Without regular interaction and emotional openness, even strong friendships may quietly end.
Potential struggle with ADHD
In the United States, national surveys show that about 11.4 percent of children aged 3–17 have been diagnosed with ADHD. But population studies suggest the real number among teens may be closer to 5–6 percent—meaning many go undiagnosed.
A recent study found that boys with ADHD often have fewer close friendships and gradually lose peer support between ages 13 and 18. If your teenager seems unhappy or socially withdrawn, this might be due to undiagnosed ADHD. ADHD is often linked with:
- Impulsive behavior: Acting out, interrupting, or speaking without thinking can push peers away.
- Trouble reading social cues: Boys may misinterpret what others mean or fail to notice when they’ve upset someone.
- More conflict, less support: Their friendships may be marked by frequent misunderstandings or arguments.
If your teen finds it hard to make friends, a mental health evaluation can help you understand why. It might reveal challenges like ADHD or anxiety and suggest the best ways to support your child.
Pressures to appear “tough”
A 2025 study of 178 teen boys found that those who strongly conformed to stoic masculinity norms were more likely to report less trust in friends and more feelings of loneliness. Many said they avoided showing emotion because they feared judgment or losing respect.
This pressure to act “tough” can prevent boys from building close friendships. This leads boys to:
- Hold back emotions: He may keep his worries or sadness to himself, fearing that being open will make him look weak.
- Avoid deep conversations: Talking about feelings might seem risky, so he keeps friendships on a surface level.
- See sharing as risky: Past betrayals or teasing may make him less willing to trust others.
- Focus on status over connection: He might prioritize competition, popularity, or toughness, which leaves less space for closeness.
Constant bullying
A 2022 cross-national study of 10,000 adolescents found that boys who were bullied at school several times a week had over 11 times the odds of reporting high loneliness. Cyberbullying made this worse, especially when it happened alongside school bullying.
This kind of bullying can affect boys’ social lives in several ways:
- Feel too unsafe to connect: Boys may withdraw or isolate themselves if they fear being targeted again.
- Experience deeper loneliness: The emotional toll of being bullied often builds over time, especially when no one steps in to help.
- Feel ashamed to talk: A fear of judgment or being seen as weak may prevent boys from opening up about what they’re going through.
Questioning gender or sexuality
A 2021 study found that sexual minority boys (boys who identified as LGBTQ+) reported significantly more loneliness than their heterosexual peers. This can leave boys feeling cut off from their peers, making them:
- Feel excluded at school: Peer groups may not seem safe or welcoming.
- Hide parts of themselves: Worrying about judgment, they might avoid being open.
- Rely more on online spaces: They may seek connection online, which can’t fully replace real-world friendship.
Ethnic or cultural differences
A 2024 study showed that ethnic minority boys in classrooms where few peers shared their background were significantly more likely to feel lonely.
This feeling of being different may lead to:
- Withholding of identity: Downplaying culture to avoid standing out, making it harder to form genuine friendships.
- A sense of social mismatch: Feeling they don’t share the same interests or experiences as classmates.
- Avoidance of school groups: Choosing to sit out clubs or events due to lack of similar peers.
- Increased worry about fitting in: Not seeing role models or feeling affirmed in their environment.
Digital and screen-time isolation
Excessive gaming, social media use, or screen dependence doesn’t just displace face-to-face time; it can also change how boys interact offline. Excessive screen time makes adolescents:
- Miss out on real-world practice: Gaming or scrolling for hours takes time away from learning how to read social cues in person.
- Feel nervous around peers: After long periods of being alone online, even simple social settings, such as lunch with classmates, can feel overwhelming.
- Lose confidence from online experiences: Comparing themselves to others or facing online bullying can make boys feel bad and avoid socializing offline.
- Prefer online over real-life friends: Having online-only friendships might lower their motivation to meet peers in person.
How to help your teen son make friends
If your son seems lonely, unhappy, or left out, it can be hard to know how to help. Many parents feel this way. But friendship is a learnable skill, and you can guide him step by step. To help your son make good friends:
Create a welcoming home environment
Your home can shape your son’s feelings about friendships. A calm, accepting space makes it easier for him to open up and invite others in:
- Start with his interests: Help him explore what he genuinely enjoys, such as games, music, sports, or building things, as a foundation for social activities or a new hobby.
- Be emotionally available: Show interest in his day and listen without judgment when he shares.
- Keep things low-pressure: Let him know it’s okay to have quiet time or need space without pushing social interaction.
- Respect his pace: Support his social steps without comparing him to others or rushing his progress.
- Offer a space to hang out: Make your home feel welcoming by providing snacks, a game area, or simple activities where teens can relax and feel comfortable.
A welcoming home is also one where your teen feels safe to open up to you. If he’s able to talk with you easily, it becomes easier for him to share what he needs socially and for you to guide him. These guides on teen communication can help you build that connection:
Consider mental health evaluation
If your son is struggling socially, it may help to meet with a mental health professional for an evaluation. A mental health evaluation:
- Clarifies what’s going on: A professional can assess for underlying issues like anxiety, autism, or ADHD that might affect friendships.
- Leads to helpful support: It can point you toward the right kind of help, like therapy, coaching, or support at school
- Gives you a plan: With clarity, you can stop guessing and start taking small, helpful steps forward.
Try coaching friendship skills at home
PEERS (Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills) is a structured program that teaches teens how to form and maintain friendships. It also trains parents in coaching skills, enabling them to support their children at home. A study found that boys in the program had more social hangouts and better communication with peers.
To try social skills taught at PEERS at home:
- Practice scripts together: Help your teen rehearse how to start or join conversations without feeling awkward.
- Encourage small group plans: Support him in inviting a good friend or peer over to play or hang out.
- Review texts or posts: Coach him on polite and clear ways to respond socially online.
- Praise effort: When he takes a social risk, even if it’s small, name it and celebrate it.
Organize group friendship activities
You don’t need a formal club or class to help your son build friendships. Research from a 2023 study shows that simple group games and shared tasks can improve social skills.
- Host low-pressure gatherings: Consider a casual movie night, a team game, or a shared hobby project.
- Teach problem-solving: Act out short scripts for common teen conflicts, such as sharing, waiting for a turn, or dealing with a tease.
- Try volunteering: Look for small volunteer opportunities where your son can work alongside others.
- Reinforce kind behavior: Point out and praise actions such as helping, listening, or offering a compliment.
Final thoughts
Parenting your teen son to build a social life doesn’t happen overnight, but your support matters. Even small steps, like listening closely or inviting a friend over, can open the door to connection. Keep showing up, stay curious about what he needs, and remind him he’s not alone.
Taking the next steps
Supporting your teenage son’s social growth isn’t about fixing him; it’s about understanding what lies beneath the surface.
The following guides can help you continue building connection, confidence, and trust as he navigates friendships and emotional challenges:
- Active listening skills — Learn the kind of listening that helps your son feel heard, not managed.
- Teen loneliness — Learn how to help your child feel less alone.
- How to help teens make friends — A practical look at how teens build friendships and what you can do to guide, not force, that growth.
- Teen anger issues — Anger often masks underlying emotions such as sadness, fear, or shame. Learn how to respond with calm and clarity.
- How to help an autistic child make friends — Learn supportive, practical ways to help your autistic teen build friendships and feel more included.
- Oppositional defiant disorder in teens — If social isolation is paired with persistent defiance or conflict, this guide helps you understand what else may be going on.
Residential Treatment for Teens
If your teen often feels overwhelmed, shuts down, or reacts with intense emotions they can’t seem to manage, they may need more support than what’s possible at home.
Our residential program helps teens understand their feelings, learn coping skills, and practice healthy emotional responses.
We support families in our facilities in Arizona and Idaho.
Call for more information.
(855) 506-1906
Sources
- Cheng, Q., Mills‐Webb, K., Marquez, J., & Humphrey, N. (2025). Longitudinal relationships across bullying victimization, friendship and social support, and internalizing symptoms in early‐to‐middle adolescence: A developmental cascades investigation. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-024-02131-2
- Harkins, C., Menezes, M., Sadikova, E., & Mazurek, M. (2023). Friendship and anxiety/depression symptoms in boys with and without autism spectrum disorder. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 128(2), 119–133. https://doi.org/10.1352/1944-7558-128.2.119
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, November 19). Data and statistics on ADHD. https://www.cdc.gov/adhd/data/index.html
- Li, Y., Yan, X., Li, Q., Li, Q., Xu, G., Lu, J., & Yang, W. (2023). Prevalence and trends in diagnosed ADHD among US children and adolescents, 2017–2022. JAMA Network Open, 6(10), e2336872. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.36872
- Neprily, K. M., Climie, E. A., McCrimmon, A., & Makarenko, E. (2025). Why can’t we be friends? A narrative review of the challenges of making and keeping friends for children and adolescents with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Frontiers in Developmental Psychology, 2, 1390791. https://doi.org/10.3389/fdpys.2024.1390791
- Neilson, E. C., & Maitland, D. W. M. (2025). Masculinity, social connection, and loneliness: A contextual behavioral science approach to men’s social relationships and intimacy. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 36, 100892. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2025.100892
- Madsen, K. R., Damsgaard, M. T., Petersen, K., Qualter, P., & Holstein, B. E. (2024). Bullying at school, cyberbullying, and loneliness: National representative study of adolescents in Denmark. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(4), 414. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21040414
- Charmaraman, L., Hodes, R., & Richer, A. M. (2021). Young Sexual Minority Adolescent Experiences of Self-expression and Isolation on Social Media: Cross-sectional Survey Study. JMIR Mental Health, 8(9), e26207. https://doi.org/10.2196/26207
- Barth, C., & Grütter, J. (2024). Inclusive classroom norms and children’s expectations of inclusion of peers with learning difficulties in their social world. Journal of School Psychology, 104, 101312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2024.101312
- Płatos, M., Wojaczek, K., & Laugeson, E. A. (2023). Effects of social skills training for adolescents on the autism spectrum: A randomized controlled trial of the Polish adaptation of the PEERS® intervention via hybrid and in-person delivery. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 53, 4132–4146. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05714-9