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TomoPass Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO: Aoi Tokugawa), which operates "TOMOPASS", conducted a "Survey on Friend-Making in the New School Year for High School Students" targeting high school students (boys and girls aged 15-17). This survey revealed the reality of high school students' anxieties about making friends at the start of the new school year, the reasons behind them, their awareness of their place within the classroom, and their interest in interacting with peers from other high schools.<Background>The cherry blossom season marks the beginning of the new school year and class changes, which for many high school students are a source of great anxiety alongside anticipation. In recent years, it has been pointed out as a social issue that an increasing number of young people find it difficult to build real-life, face-to-face relationships due to changes in communication styles brought about by the spread of smartphones and SNS. However, the actual extent to which current high school students feel "anxiety" about their new classes and environments at the start of the school year, and what "communication methods" they choose for initial encounters, has not been fully clarified. Therefore, "TOMOPASS" conducted the "Survey on Friend-Making in the New School Year for High School Students" targeting high school students.<Survey Summary>- Approximately 1 in 6 high school students responded that they have "0" close friends.- More than 1 in 4 high school students feel they do "not" have a place in their school class where they can feel at ease.- Approximately 60% of high school students feel anxious about making friends in a new class or environment.- The main reasons for anxiety about making friends in a new class or environment are "I'm not good at initiating conversations" and "I don't know if I'll find people I get along with."- Approximately 30% of high school students responded that they find it easier to talk to peers they meet for the first time online.- Over 70% of high school students are interested in connecting with peers from other high schools through common interests.<Survey Overview>Survey Period: February 24 - February 25, 2026Survey Method: Internet SurveyTarget Audience: High school students (boys and girls aged 15-17)Number of Respondents: 330Monitor Provider: RC Research DataApproximately 1 in 6 high school students responded that they have "0" close friends.First, in response to the question "How many close friends do you currently have?
", the results were: 1st place "8 or more" with 18.2%, 2nd place "2" with 16.1%, and 3rd place "0" with 15.8%. While "8 or more" was the most frequent answer, it was found that approximately 1 in 6 high school students responded that they have "0" close friends.More than 1 in 4 high school students feel they do "not" have a place in their school class where they can feel at ease.Next, in response to the question "Do you feel you have a place in your school class where you can feel at ease?
", the results were: 1st place "Somewhat feel" with 45.2%, 2nd place "Strongly feel" with 29.4%, 3rd place "Don't really feel" with 15.5%, and 4th place "Don't feel at all" with 10.0%. While "Somewhat feel" was the most common answer, the combined percentages of the 3rd and 4th place answers were 25.5%. This result revealed that more than 1 in 4 high school students feel they do "not" have a place in their school class where they can feel at ease, to varying degrees.Approximately 60% of high school students feel anxious about making friends in a new class or environment.Next, in response to the question "To what extent do you feel anxious about making friends in a new class or environment?
", the results were: 1st place "Somewhat anxious" with 33.9%, 2nd place "Not very anxious" with 27.0%, and 3rd place "Very anxious" with 23.6%. The combined percentages of the 1st and 3rd place answers were 57.5%. This result revealed that approximately 60% of high school students feel anxious, to varying degrees, about making friends in a new class or environment.The main reasons for anxiety about making friends in a new class or environment are "I'm not good at initiating conversations" and "I don't know if I'll find people I get along with."Furthermore, among high school students who feel anxious about making friends in a new class or environment, when asked "What are the main reasons for feeling anxious about making friends in a new class or environment?
", the results were: 1st place "I'm not good at initiating conversations" with 63.2%, 2nd place "I don't know if I'll find people I get along with" with 60.0%, and 3rd place "I worry about what others think of me" with 53.2%. These results showed that the main reasons for anxiety about making friends in a new class or environment are "I'm not good at initiating conversations" and "I don't know if I'll find people I get along with."Approximately 30% of high school students responded that they find it easier to talk to peers they meet for the first time online.Subsequently, high school students were asked, "When talking to peers you meet for the first time, which is easier: face-to-face conversation or online conversation via SNS, etc.?
" The results were: 1st place "Face-to-face is easier" with 26.1%, 2nd place "Both are the same" with 25.2%, 3rd place "Online is somewhat easier" with 19.1%, 4th place "Face-to-face is somewhat easier" with 18.5%, and 5th place "Online is easier" with 11.2%. While "Face-to-face is easier" was the most common answer, the combined percentages of the 3rd and 5th place answers were 30.3%. This result revealed that approximately 30% of high school students find it easier to talk to peers they meet for the first time online, to varying degrees.Over 70% of high school students are interested in connecting with peers from other high schools through common interests.Finally, high school students were asked, "To what extent are you interested in connecting with peers from other high schools through common interests?
" The results were: 1st place "Somewhat interested" with 50.9%, 2nd place "Not very interested" with 21.8%, and 3rd place "Very interested" with 21.5%. The combined percentages of the 1st and 3rd place answers were 72.4%. This result revealed that over 70% of high school students are interested, to varying degrees, in connecting with peers from other high schools through common interests.SummaryThis survey found that approximately 1 in 6 high school students responded that they have "0" close friends, and more than 1 in 4 high school students feel they do "not" have a place in their school class where they can feel at ease. Furthermore, approximately 60% of high school students feel anxious about making friends in a new class or environment, and the main reasons for this anxiety are "I'm not good at initiating conversations" and "I don't know if I'll find people I get along with." Additionally, approximately 30% of high school students responded that they find it easier to talk to peers they meet for the first time online, and over 70% of high school students are interested in connecting with peers from other high schools through common interests.In response to the anxiety about making friends in new environments revealed by this survey, TomoPass Inc.'s "TOMOPASS" provides an environment where students can safely connect with "like-minded peers." This service is an SNS exclusively for high school students focused on friend-making, allowing users to find friends with similar academic goals, common hobbies, club activities, or personality types through the app. By implementing identity verification and monitoring posts and profiles, it ensures a safe environment for high school students to interact and for parents to watch over them with peace of mind. By offering diverse encounters beyond the framework of school, it aims to alleviate anxiety about making friends and support high school students in taking their new steps.TomoPass Inc.President and CEO Aoi TokugawaFounded while attending Aoyama Gakuin University.Operates the high school-exclusive friend-making app "TomoPass" and the female-exclusive friend-making app "DoteMatch."Driven by the belief that "Encounters with people broaden life's possibilities," the company is committed to creating services where students and women can connect with peace of mind.Past coverage includes the Nikkei, Nikkei WOMAN, Fuji TV, TV Tokyo, Tokyo FM, NewsPicks, anan, and Bijin Hyakka.During her student years, she was selected as the Tokyo representative for the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards and won the Grand Prize for the "Dream Realization Project" Women Entrepreneur Award.Her motto is, "Encounters with people broaden life's possibilities."Based on her experiences encountering diverse values, she is working to deliver services that embody the "new possibilities" opened up by human connections.Survey Conducting CompanyTomoPass Inc.Location: 2F-C, Shibuya Dogenzaka Tokyu Building, 1-10-8 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0043President and CEO: Aoi TokugawaBusiness Activities: App Development and OperationURL: https://www.tomopass.com/TOMOPASS"TOMOPASS", operated by TomoPass Inc., is an SNS exclusively for high school students focused on friend-making. Through the app, users can find friends with similar academic goals, common hobbies, club activities, or personality types. By implementing identity verification and monitoring posts and profiles, it ensures a safe environment for high school students to interact and for parents to watch over them with peace of mind.Through this service, we aim to increase the "social capital (richness of human relationships)" of high school students. By providing diverse connections and safe spaces beyond the framework of school to prevent loneliness, we strongly wish to play a social role in reducing the number of high school student suicides.For details, please see below.TOMOPASS: https://www.tomopass.com/lp/High School Exclusive SNS Focused on Friend-Making4 Points for Safe UseEncounters That Make the Future More InterestingFind friends you click with instantlyIntuitive and simple designTimeline for casual posts limited to peers