Finding new people and making friends gets harder as you get older, especially if you don’t have an established group of friends that you hang out with. As a teenager meeting new people becomes more challenging, and ways to make friends will change.
That said, it doesn’t always have to be a struggle. We have a handful of ways to help you meet new people as a teenager. Whether you’re looking for friends or acquaintances, you’re in the right place. Read on to learn more.
Tips for Meeting New People as a Teenager
Meeting people as a teenager can be done in a few ways, and it comes down to what you’re comfortable with. Some of the most simple methods include talking to people in school. However, you can also join groups or meet people around the neighborhood. Ultimately, it comes down to being open-minded to new things.
1. Join a Club or Play a Sport
Clubs and sports are some of the best ways to make friends as a teenager. Most schools have several clubs available that include writing, art, drama, anime, and much more. In fact, every school has unique clubs based on their student body. Therefore, you should check your school’s options and see if there is a club you like. Then, meeting new people is as simple as starting a conversation with someone in your club.
Playing a sport is also similar. Most schools have a sports team, and teammates form a strong bond throughout the season, which makes it one of the best ways to meet new people as a teenager. The most popular sports include soccer, baseball, and football. However, some schools offer wrestling, swimming, bowling, and other sports.
Other extracurriculars, like student council or the school musical, can be great ways to try something new and meet like-minded friends.
An additional bonus to any of these things is that they look great on college applications.
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2. Talk to New People in School
One advantage teenagers have over other age groups is that many are in public or private schools. While this doesn’t apply to students who are homeschooled, the majority of teenagers still enter public or private schools. Going from a homeschool to a public school environment will also help teenagers meet new people.
When talking to new people in school, try to have your friends introduce you. If you don’t have friends who can introduce you, try to make conversation with the people sitting around you in class. The most important factor here is trying. Do your best to put yourself out there.
One of the best ways to start a conversation with someone new is to compliment them, like their shoes or a sticker on their binder, and then ask them a question, for example, “I love the patch on your backpack, where did you get it?” This opens the door for them to follow up and for you to ask another question, like their name.
3. Say “Yes” to Plans With Your Friends
Planning things to do with your friends isn’t always fun, and your friends might be into things that you dislike. In these cases, saying “no” might be something you’re used to doing. That said, make sure you start saying “yes” more often. The more you agree to plans with your friends, the more chances you’ll have of meeting new people as a teenager.
When you go out with your friends, you can meet new people in a few ways. First and foremost, your friends might be friends with people you don’t know. This makes it easy to connect with new people because you already have an ice-breaker. Meeting new people can also happen if your friends are more social than you and talk to another group of people.
The last thing to note is that you can make friends by going to the same place consistently.
4. Find a Hobby You Like
People who share hobbies make some of the best friends, and when you’re a teenager, you have time to try many hobbies. Depending on the hobby, it’s possible to meet many new people through your shared interests. Keep in mind that these have to be hobbies that include socialization, and yes, video games do count and can help you meet people.
Some other hobbies to try to meet new people as a teenager are found below:
- Lifting weights at the gym
- Fishing
- Skateboarding or riding a BMX bike
- Board games like Dungeons and Dragons (DND)
- Video games on PC or console
These are only a few examples of some popular hobbies for teenagers that help you meet people. Depending on your interests and where you’re located, they might change. Also, you’ll need your parents’ support or the support of a guardian to participate in some hobbies.
5. Meet New Friends Online as a Teenager
Meeting people online is another great way to meet people as a teenager. The internet has created thousands of ways for people of all ages to interact with one another. You can use social media apps to engage with new people, or you can visit specific websites. So if you enjoy hobbies like video games, that can also help you meet new friends as a teenager online.
Meeting people online is a great way to meet new people as a teenager. Unfortunately, it’s not always the safest way. When meeting people online, it’s important to practice internet safety. You can do so by verifying the identity of the person you’re speaking with. This is made easy by tools like Information.com, which helps you verify people’s identity by helping you run searches with their email address, name, address, or phone number.
Running a search on someone online will reveal their true identity, which includes a combination of public and criminal records.
It’s crucial to always practice commonsense internet safety when talking to people you don’t know online. Never tell someone online your full name or divulge any information about where you live.
Following these tips will help you meet plenty of new friends as a teenager.
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Meet New People as a Teen Today!
We know that your teenage years can be a bit awkward and that people aren’t always friendly. The usual approach you used to use to make new friends as a child might not work anymore, so it’s time to make a change. As long as you follow some of our tips, you should have no problem meeting new people.
Also, remember to be careful when meeting people online as a teenager. To avoid danger, it’s important to screen people to verify their identity if you’ve never met them.