Peer Pressure!

Today I'm going to talk about peer pressure! I found this information in a page called Kids Health, I also used info from a web page called Teens Health. It is very useful because it doesn't have any hard or strange words, so it was easy to understand.

Peer pressure is when people your age, called peers, influence you to act a certain way or do something. Sometimes peer pressure can be good because your friends can influence you to study for a test for example. In other cases it is bad because they can force you or try to convince you to try drugs or similar stuff. That type of peer pressure is what I'm going to write about today.

Some teens give in to peer pressure because they want to be cool or be accepted in a group of people. They're scared that if they don't do what they are pressure to do, they will be rejected from their friends. Other people just do it because they are curious to try new things. Some teens just do it because 'everyone is doing it'. Peer pressure can lead you to wrong things that could ruin your life, for example, drugs.

Luckily, there are some ways to stop peer pressure. It is better to be with someone who also wants to get out of peer pressure, that way you'll feel supported and you will be stronger. Choosing your friends is also very good. If you choose to be friends with someone who smokes, drinks alcohol, or skips classes, then that friend will probably want you to do it with him. A good way is to be friends with people who are similar to you, so if someday someone is telling you to do something you don't want to do, you can get help and support from that friend.

Stress in your life also comes from peer pressure, which makes some people have a depression. It is when they feel very sad about everything. There are two types of peer pressure, direct or indirect. Direct is when your peers try to convince you with threats to do something that you don't want to do. Indirect is for example, when cigarettes are available at a party but your friends aren't actually forcing you into trying them but you see them doing it.

People of all ages have peer pressure some time in their lives, whether it is positive or negative. Some people are more likely to give in to peer pressure, though. People that have a low self-steem, don't have confidence in themselves, and follow other people's lead are more likely to do what they are asked to do whether it is against their values or not. People who are new to a group of friends are also likely to give in. Also, using alcohol or drugs has a higher chance of giving in to peer pressure because the substance affects judgement and the ability to make good decisions.

So, that was all my research about peer pressure. Next, I'd like to investigate more about what some tobacco companies or the governments of some countries are doing to decrease the amount of teens smoking. Bye, see ya!