There’s been some improvements in young people’s relationships with parents (Chart 2 in this section), and this chart suggests young people’s satisfaction with family has been holding steady overall with only slight decreases in the last few years.

But the last decade has also seen a decline in their satisfaction with their friendships. Just before the pandemic it looked like things might be stabilising, but 2021 saw another slight drop.

The normalisation of smart-phone technology has caused all sorts of shifts in young people’s social behaviours, with a move to conduct relationships increasingly online as well as, or instead of face to face. As well as creating connection, new tools and platforms for communicating have made anti-social behaviour possible too, like anonymous comments or sharing cruel rumours or footage rapidly amongst whole peer groups.

It's not clear exactly how these technologies are affecting teenage friendships, but they’re undoubtedly playing a role.