As teens spend less time with their friends in person, scientists are beginning to uncover how isolation may affect the developing “social brain.” Here’s what we know—and when parents should be concerned.
For generations, adolescence has been defined as a time of social connection—hanging out with friends, dating, and developing bonds outside the family. These interactions aren’t just cultural rites of passage; they help shape how young brains learn to navigate emotions, relationships, and risk.
But that social landscape is changing. In recent years, teens have been spending less time together in person. According to a recent Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report, daily face-to-face interactions with friends among children decreased from 53 percent in 2006 to 36 percent in 2022.
While some alone time is normal and even “healthy,” experts warn that too much of it may impact key aspects of teen brain development, with consequences that can extend into adulthood.
How the “social brain” takes shape during adolescence
Adolescence, the developmental period that begins with puberty and, in terms of brain maturation, can extend into the early thirties, is a time of profound physiological, biological, and psychological change. At the brain level, our teenage years are a time of rewiring, says Roselinde Kaiser, an associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Starting in puberty, the brain builds new connections to allow faster, more efficient exchange of information between distant areas of the brain. This reconfiguration enables the development of new skills, including emotion regulation and risk and reward evaluation.
