Most of my family is also my friends.My friends are so close they are considered family too..I have people that Im not blood-related too,that I consider family more-so than some of the blood-related.I will put my family first as they are also my friends :)

 YES friends are much important to our life. Because one can give u tears, laughs etc, but only a friend can give "LAUGHING TEARS", "CRYING SMILES". I doesnt say that family is not important. We can live without family but, not without friends.

 From a teenagers point of view. Friends are more important than family. When I was a teenager, I always thought my family would always be there no matter what, so I wanted to go with my friends. Until when I turned 20 and I lost my daddy. BUT, teenagers will always think their friends are more important. Do you remember ever getting upset because you couldn't do something with you friends because something was going on with you family? Same concept.

 Look as a teen parents always busy telling us what not to do and all dat trash and we been wit them for thirteen years so why can't we hang out with people who are our age not a bazillion years old

 I say both

 I'm half and half i think friends are supper important but family is forever ok they both got ur back so yesh it be hard to chose between my friend and my family

 It depends on their background. But me myself think that friends are more important..a friend can be your family too..somehow there's some situations where u cant share to your family and from my experience i can express myself more freely to my friends rather than my family =]

 I think so friends are more important than family because friends are the one who hold you up when fall.You can a lot of things with them which you can't have with a family.

 They are always there. There is a lot that u discus with friends than with parents. Trust me i know what im talking abt

 I wish I didn't agree, but I do. I've gotten more support from friends than I ever have from my family. I have had some wonderful friends, true friends who would do just about anything for me. Unfortunately, my family (except for my sister) hasn't been there for me when I needed them. It's only been recently that my sister and I have developed a close relationship. We've become friends.

 If you ever heard that term blood is thicker than water, it is generally true. Family is usually and mostly important, more than friends. Although there are exception, such as an abusive family and the friends that help you escape from that dark reality, those are true important friends. In the end, family is usually more important.

 I love my parents,I do,but growing up,my dad didn't know what to do with me(i was the only girl) my mom wasn't around,and I can tell you how many times my step-mother has said I LOVE YOU,to me.FOUR TIMES!So in my case,yes friends are more important, because in the past year and a half,they have shown me more love than my parents have in the full 15 years I've been alive.I am not over dramatizing it,I promise, up until last year,I really didn't believe love exist.

 I once heard a quote that said, "Friends are the family you choose". I agree. You can make sure the people in your life support and really care for you. WHo needs a dysfunctional family member hanging around, putting you down all the time. Just because they are family does not mean they neee to be a part of your life.

 I think friends are more important than family. Then agian teenager speaking here. But i think that a friend is less likely to hurt you than a family member or take advantage of you. I get in way move fights with my family than i do with my best friend. We've been friends since 6th grade and she knows more about me than my family does. She's like my soul sister and by saying that i'm not saying that my birth sister is not but my friend gets me more.

Although at the same time if i had to save one of them i'm not sure which it would be.

 My friends became my family. My natural family tends not to remember I exist to be frank. Are they important to me? Yes they are still of importance, but we have no common ground.

 Friends are more important to me because you can actually talk to them and if they are a true friend they will not judge you or ground/yell at you.

 I'm not sure which side of the debate I'm supposed to post this on, but I'll post here and see if that works for everyone. :)

At 28, I have discovered that my friends are often part of what I call my family. We are not related, but it doesn't change the fact that I care for them very deeply. Friends for me are often like extra siblings.

Also, the observation you've made about teenagers differing in their behavior, depending on who might be around, seems like a matter of stage of growth. When we are younger, we are in a period of personal growth that focuses a lot on discovering who we are and we uncover those things by venturing out in to the world and interacting with people outside of our families. After all, family has been with us our entire life and has helped to shape what we hope to further develop! :) The development of "self" at that time in a person's life is definitely a priority, so I can understand why it might seems like a teenager appreciates the value of friendships more than family for this reason. I don't necessarily think that they "replace" family in the list of priorities per se, but friendships may be the focus because of the teenager's stage of growth.

Yikes... Does that even make sense? I hope so!