Almost all of us can recall a period as children when, in a new town for the first time, we played an hour at a playground and instantly made a whole new group of friends. If you’re a parent, you’ve undoubtedly seen your children do this as well.

As adults, we can only wonder how children make friendships. We “grown-ups” aren’t nearly as trusting, and regrettably, this is often due to personal experience. Adults typically find it more practical and safer to connect first online and, later, in person. If this fits you, here’s a fast guide to making friends online and (safely) taking them offline when the time comes.

Many of us will relocate to a new place for business or personal reasons, leaving a large number of friends behind. We will lose friends over time due to misunderstandings or hurt sentiments, and some friendships will fade away on their own. Replacing old pals with new ones becomes more difficult as we age.

We are also constrained by time and busyness, and our emotional baggage might get in the way. So, while friendships are more difficult as adults, they are also essential to our long-term well-being. So, while it is difficult, it is one that we must all confront at some point in our lives. For many of us, the easiest and most effective way to make new connections is online.

How have online friendships made it all easier:

There are several reasons why this is true. For starters, as previously stated, once you leave school, you don’t meet as many potential friends. Workplaces may occasionally fill that gap (especially in high-risk situations such as first responders or the military). Still, many of us now work from home, and even in a large office, you are likely to have only a small pool of direct coworkers.

Online, your possible buddies are virtually the entire globe, or at least the part of it that speaks a language you understand. That’s likely the most significant advantage to meet people online, although there are many more:

• It saves time because even a few spare moments in your day will allow you to check in on many websites or apps.
• It’s easier for introverts since we don’t have to deal with the natural stress of being with other people using online group chat.
• Most apps and websites where people gather employ a combination of human moderation and technical technologies to help screen out scammers and check for harassment and stalking.
• You can chat with friends and interact with others without putting yourself in danger or disclosing more information than you want.
• Because the internet is so big, you may easily find individuals who share your interests, no matter how different they are. Make sure to use an earning money app. 

That’s only a small sampling of the reasons you might want to pursue connections online. Your list will most likely contain others, but the essential point is that it can be easier. It’s an awful reality that most of us discover the hard way on our journey to adulthood. Ultimately, trust and the emotional connection that arises from trust are at the center of meaningful friendships. You cannot have one without the other.