How Many Friends Should Your Child Have? AIIMS Professor Reveals The Ideal Number

Last Updated:December 10, 2025, 08:08 IST

How many friends does a child truly need? An AIIMS expert uncovers the surprising number that shapes confidence, resilience, and the way young minds grow

There was a time when groups of children filled every street and neighbourhood. Despite their differences in age, they played together, walked to school side by side, and shared their stories without hesitation. But over the past few years, such friendships have steadily faded. Children now spend most of their days absorbed in screens, whether it be televisions, tablets, or mobile phones.

Doctors from the Psychiatry Department at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, warn that loneliness, irritability, anxiety, and stress are rising rapidly among young children.

Professor Nand Kumar from the Psychiatry Department at AIIMS New Delhi explains that the biggest cause of this growing distress is that children are forming ‘screen friendships’ instead of real, human connections. Whether they are watching reels, glued to television, or lost in online interactions, the shift towards a virtual world is affecting both their physical and mental well-being.

He stresses that children must have real friends; friends they can talk to, play with, and emotionally relate to.

How Many Friends Should A Child Have?

According to Dr Kumar, every child should have at least five real friends. Sharing thoughts, emotions, and experiences with these friends helps children understand others’ behaviour, communicate more effectively, and learn how to form healthy, real-life relationships.

He emphasises that emotional well-being is an integral part of overall health as a healthy mind ultimately shapes a healthy body.

Why Being Bored Is Also Important

Dr Kumar adds that adults often treat boredom as a negative state, but boredom has its own significance. It gives a child’s mind space to rest, reset, and develop fresh ideas. Constant activity, endless tasks, and relentless planning are not always beneficial. The brain needs pauses just as much as it needs engagement.

In response to rising cases of stress and anxiety, the AIIMS Psychiatry Department has introduced the MET Programme (Mind Activation through Education) in CBSE schools. Developed by AIIMS Delhi, this programme offers children practical tools for managing stress and anxiety.

Counsellors have been stationed in schools for five-day training sessions, where they closely observe children’s behaviour, understand their challenges, and then guide them towards healthier emotional habits.

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