A new study by the Child Mind Institute, Building Bridges: Teen Loneliness and Connection, offers insight into how teens experience connection—and what families and communities can do to strengthen those bonds. Funded by the Morgan Stanley Alliance for Children’s Mental Health, the study surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,000 U.S. teens ages 14 to 17 about connection across five areas: family, peers, school, self and digital spaces. The findings offer insight into where teens feel most connected and how those relationships may support their mental health.
The Morgan Stanley Alliance for Children’s Mental Health combines the resources and reach of Morgan Stanley with the knowledge and experience of leading nonprofits to address the critical challenges of stress, anxiety and depression in young people.
The Importance of Connection
Nearly half of teens surveyed reported moderate to severe loneliness, reinforcing the findings from last year’s Intergenerational Stressors Study. At the same time, 80% of teens said being connected is “very” or “extremely” important to them. “Teens are reporting such high levels of loneliness, which makes the importance they place on meaningful connection especially striking,” said Angela Moyer, PsyD, a psychologist at the Child Mind Institute who led the study. “The findings suggest that it is not simply the amount of social interaction that matters, but whether teens feel understood, supported, and like they belong.”
Meaningful connection involves acceptance, trust and being able to be oneself. Teens described connection as both spending time with others and feeling understood, accepted and supported in those relationships.
A Network of Connection Matters
On average, teens reported the strongest connection with family, followed by peers, self, school, and digital spaces. Teens who felt less connected also reported greater loneliness, anxiety and depression.
According to the study, teens strongly depend on family for support: 88% said they had at least one family member they could turn to when stressed. Friendships may provide another source of protection when family connections are limited.
Schools can also play an important role in helping young people feel a sense of belonging. The study found that connection at school was a key distinction between teens who reported greater and lower levels of loneliness, including among academically successful students.
Feeling supported in one area of life may not be enough. Teens who felt connected in some parts of their lives but disconnected in others reported greater loneliness, anxiety and depression.
The Role of Technology
Digital spaces are part of all our social lives—teens included. In the survey, teens reported using technology to maintain relationships (76%) and specifically cited doing things together online, such as gaming, group chats, or shared interests, as a way that helps them feel connected.
At the same time, digital spaces appeared to function differently from home and school. Even as digital engagement grows, teens said face-to-face peer relationships remain important to feeling connected (88%). In contrast, feeling strong connections online was less of a buffer against loneliness, anxiety, and depression than the other domains.
Nearly three in 10 teens said they had used AI for connection or support, with higher rates among teens who screened positive for depression, social anxiety or general anxiety. This raises questions about what needs teens may be trying to meet through using AI companions or chatbots.
How Parents and Caregivers Can Help
Whether at home, at school or in the community, adults can help teens build relationships in which they feel understood, supported and able to be themselves. The findings suggest three places to start:
1. Ask where teens feel understood and supported. Look beyond whether a teen has friends or spends time with others. Ask who they can turn to when they are stressed, where they feel most like themselves and whether there are places where they feel left out. Listen without immediately trying to solve the problem and check in regularly so conversations about connection become part of everyday life.
2. Help teens build a broader network of connection. No single relationship or setting can meet every need. Create consistent opportunities for connection at home, and help teens identify trusted adults, supportive peers, mentors, activities and communities where they can develop a sense of belonging. Schools and youth-serving organizations can contribute by making sure every young person has someone who knows them, listens to them and notices when they withdraw.
3. Explore digital life with curiosity and set a healthy balance. Rather than focusing on just screen time, ask what teens do online, who they interact with and how those experiences make them feel. Encourage forms of digital engagement that involve shared interests and active participation, while helping teens recognize when passive scrolling or online interactions leave them feeling isolated. Make room for regular face-to-face connection.
Supporting teen mental health requires more than responding when distress becomes severe. Parents, caregivers, schools and communities can help by noticing where connection may be missing, strengthening the relationships already in a teen’s life and creating new opportunities to belong. Small, consistent actions—listening closely, showing interest and helping teens find people and places where they feel accepted—can contribute to a stronger network of support.
About the Study
Building Bridges: Teen Loneliness and Connection was conducted online by the Child Mind Institute in partnership with Ipsos from January 26 to March 13, 2026. The study included a nationally representative sample of 1,000 adolescents ages 14 to 17 across the United States. Participants completed validated measures of loneliness, anxiety, and depression, along with a connectedness survey examining family, peer, school, self, and digital domains.
Because this was a cross-sectional survey, the findings do not prove that connectedness causes better mental health outcomes. But they do suggest that connection is closely related to how teens are doing emotionally.
For more information, read the full report.
