Lockdown affected our, then, pre-teens, much more than we realised at the time.
But they bounced back once back in school and out with their friends, they drifted from some friends but found others.
Yes it's easier at school because there dozens of people to try and find a connection with, but it just illustrates that finding human contact, regular, quality, human contact is a numbers game aside from anything else.
The difference in them when they have come back from school with lots of "news", it's always about others, their interactions and what others have done/not done. They buzz with human contact and if they have "meh" days it's when their friends aren't around at breaks, illness, clubs, you can physically see the difference in their body language.
Coming out of an exam and they all start yapping about question and answers, so not even friend, friends, just other exam takers, even just that helps.
Human contact is vital for good mental health. It just makes you feel like you don't have to carry whole world yourself.