Navigating when to leave a toxic friendship is difficult, especially earlier on in life.

What would you do if your “friend” insisted on constantly playing mind games with you? One kid recently sought wisdom about this on Reddit. Here’s what went down.

AITA for telling my friend “the way you treat me has to change” after he tried to punish me with the silent treatment?

I (14M) have a friend group with “L” (14M) and a few others.

Lately, I’ve realized L treats me less like a friend and more like tech support.

L barely texts me to hang out, but calls me immediately when he needs me to fix his phone (sideloading apps, etc).

There are support numbers L can use for that.

If I don’t fix it, he gets annoyed.

He does things to “test” me.

For example, he once stole a bunch of coffee creamers, refused to give me one, then threw half of one on my desk and tried to force me to throw it out for him.

Sounds like a typical obnoxious teen.

When I refused, he called me a baby.

In games, he constantly griefs me (spamming shock sticks, etc).

Yesterday, he asked if he could write a nickname with my name on a sign in a game.

This kid seems like an instigator.

I didn’t answer.

Because of this, I’ve been pulling back and hanging out with another friend, “M,” who actually treats me normally.

L noticed I was distant and ignored me for a few days.

He likely doesn’t take rejection well.

Yesterday at 1 AM, he sent me a huge text saying I have been “rude,” “mocking,” and “exasperating” lately.

He explicitly admitted: “I have been trying to ignore you because of these actions so could you try to work on it”.

Basically, he admitted he was giving me the silent treatment to punish me and “teach me a lesson”.

Not sure this guy understands friendship too well.

I replied: “I’m not trying to be mean, but I am pulling back because I don’t like how things feel right now. The constant testing and the way you talk to me is exhausting. If you want us to stop drifting apart, the way you treat me has to change.”

I feel like I might be the AH because I have been sarcastic and distant lately to defend myself, and my latest text is justifying MY behavior by attacking his.

AITA for sending that text?

Setting boundaries is important but rarely feels good, let’s see if Reddit agrees.

Most folks validated him immediately.

And complimented his reasoning.

Some shared stories from their own experiences.

And one person set him up for future success.

This guy is in for a rude awakening.

If you liked that post, check out this one about an employee that got revenge on HR when they refused to reimburse his travel.