When Your Teen Gets Ghosted: Why It Happens and How to Help Them Heal

Picture this: your teen comes home from school, drops their backpack, and slumps onto the couch. Something is off. You ask what’s wrong, and after a long pause, they mutter, “I think my friend is ignoring me. They just stopped talking to me — like I don’t exist anymore.”

That sinking feeling in your chest? It’s heartbreak by proxy. Your child has just been ghosted.

Ghosting isn’t just a dating buzzword. It’s what happens when someone — friend, crush, even a group — suddenly cuts off contact without explanation. No texts, no callbacks, no “hey, I need space.” Just silence. And for teenagers, who are already navigating the emotional rollercoaster of adolescence, it can sting more than we realize.

Why Do Teens Ghost Each Other?

From the outside, ghosting looks cruel. Why not just be honest? But for many teens, ghosting isn’t about malice — it’s about avoidance. Conversations that involve uncomfortable truths tak...