Relationships

Can friendships take a toll on someone?

Published: May 06, 2025

Dear TeenHealth FX,

Can friendships put a tool on someone?

Signed: Can friendships take a toll on someone?

Dear Can friendships take a toll on someone?,

This is a great question and is something lots of teens are curious about!

Being friends with the wrong person or someone brings negativity into your life can definitely take a toll on someone!

What does that exactly look like?

If you feel like you are always supporting and uplifting your friend with positivity, but they are not doing the same. A one-sided friendship is emotionally draining.
If a friend is engaging in toxic behavior, like becoming controlling, manipulative, or over-critical.
If you feel like you are doing things just to fit in. Chaning yourself and your values to keep a friendship is also draining.

Friendships are meant to be a positive and safe place for people to help each other grow, have fun, and feel understood. If you feel like your friendship is not giving you that then maybe it is time to step away from that friend or have a conversation with them. The key is respect and communication.

Signed: TeenHealth FX

Ratings

Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in the US among people aged 10-14 ¹

Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death in the US among people aged 15-24 ²

51% of youth (6-17) get treatment each year for a mental health condition ³

15.6 teenage girls for every 1,000 will give birth to a baby before they are 20 years old. ⁴

Only 6% of high school students get tested for STDs ⁵

1/3 of high school students who were currently sexually active used effective hormonal birth control the last time they had sex with an opposite-sex partner ⁶

Nearly 30% of female students currently drank alcohol and nearly 20% currently used marijuana.⁷

2.14 million middle and high school students currently vape ⁸

Over 80% of women and men both report having experienced their first rape under the age of 25. ⁹

Almost 40% of high school students have reported using marijuana at least once. ¹⁰

83.88% of 12- to 17-year-olds have reported using marijuana within the last month. ¹¹

One in four women first experienced intimate partner violence before the age of 18. ¹²

5.9 million teens have reported to drink at least once in the past month. ¹³

In 2022, there were 1,573 motor-vehicle deaths from underage drinks ¹⁴

About 1 in 10 children live in a home with a parent who has a drinking problem ¹⁵

Only 65 percent of teens consistently wear seat belts when driving or as a passenger. ¹⁶

The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among 16- to 19-year-olds than any other age group. ¹⁷

49% of the youth report having less than 3 friends in 2022 ¹⁸

^{2.7 million youth report experiencing severe major depression}¹⁹

Over 3.3 million teens will be graduating from high school in the year 2023-2024 ²⁰

The average social media screen time for teens is 7 hours and 22 minutes per day ²¹