My middle school dd lost one of her closest friends to Instagram and tiktok/YouTubeshorts. Before getting an iPhone the girl was super sweet and fun and suddenly became all about makeup tutorials and skin care and brands and talking down about people that don't follow the same things. I haven't talked much with the other girl's parents but I've been curious how much they noticed. It was very bizarre to overhear them try to relate in the backseat. The girl even said something to me about my cuticles! |
| This is always the challenge with small private schools. As kids interest change there is not a natural outlet of people. The only solution to this choose a bigger school going forward or have your child lean into other avenues for friends (sport/activities/clubs outside of school). Some of the other friends will likely catch up eventually. |
You are blaming the phone but maybe their interests changed and they grew apart. The other girl might have developed an interest in makeup and skincare, which is completely normal at that age. Kids gravitate towards others with similar interests, which is what this thread is all about. Friends change in middle school. This happened to us too, and we didn’t have cells or TikTok to blame in our day. Some friends were into boys and makeup, others were not. That’s middle school. |
| Girls mature at different rates. Your daughter sounds totally normal to me. |