From the beginning, parents work to teach their children how to make healthy decisions. But as children age, parents’ influence decreases and the opinion of peers becomes more and more important. Social pressure can affect a wide range of thoughts, actions, and behaviors, from academic performance to substance use to mental health.
Read on to learn the types and impact of peer pressure and how to handle it when your child experiences it.
How Peer Pressure Influences Your Child?
Peer pressure is the influence wielded by people who are members of the same social group. It is also the term used to describe the effect this influence has on a person to conform to be accepted by the group. Often, peers are thought of as friends. While your child’s friends are their peers, peers can also be anyone of a similar status, such as people who are the same age, who have the same abilities, or who share a social status.
Changing hormones, developing brains and emerging identities make the start of adolescence a particularly vulnerable time, where peer pressure is most influential. This is also a stage in life where friend groups are of utmost importance and the need to fit in is a major factor in decision making.
Types of peer pressure
There are several different types of peer pressure that kids and adolescents may experience. Types of peer pressure include spoken and unspoken, direct and indirect, and negative and positive
Effects of peer pressure?
The effects of peer pressure can manifest differently in each person. Peer pressure can play on certain strengths or challenges that an adolescent already faces. For example, a teen with low confidence and few close friends may be more susceptible to the effects of negative peer pressure, while a confident, extroverted teen may be more likely to give and receive positive peer pressure.
Negative peer pressure can encourage teenagers to participate in negative behaviors and habits, such as:
- Skipping class
- Stealing
- Cheating
- Bullying
- Using drugs or alcohol
Negative peer pressure can also affect mental health. It can decrease self-confidence and lead to poor academic performance, distancing from family members and friends, or an increase in depression and anxiety. Left untreated, this could eventually lead teens to engage in self-harm or have suicidal thoughts.
On the other hand, social pressure can have positive effects on teens as well. Positive effects of peer pressure can include pressure to:
- Excel academically
- Develop leadership qualities
- Become a leader of a school group
- Participate in extracurricular activities
- Volunteer for a good cause
Positive peer pressure can foster a sense of belonging, self-confidence, and a solidified sense of self.
How can teens deal with peer pressure?
Given the effects that peer pressure can have on adolescents and teens, parents need to encourage open communication and help their children prepare for situations of negative peer pressure. See 7 tips to help teens avoid negative peer pressure and respond healthily.
- Create an environment of open communication with your child from an early age. Look for opportunities to ask your child about pressure they have seen or experienced and how that made them feel. Let them know you are there to listen and help if they need it.
- Share your own experiences of peer pressure as appropriate and the ways you’ve handled them. Model healthy behaviors with your friends and family.
- Teach your child how to set boundaries and be assertive in their communication. Ask them to think about what they would say in a negative situation, and practice saying no in different ways.
- Establish a plan and a backup plan with your child for situations of negative peer pressure. Let them know there is nothing wrong with making an excuse if they are unsure what to do and help them brainstorm creative ways to exit an uncomfortable situation.
- Make an effort to get to know your child’s friends and their parents. If possible, encourage your child to invite friends over as one way to become familiar with them.
- Encourage your child to seek out positive relationships and to choose friends who respect them and do not put unfair pressure on them.
- Foster independence in your child and teach them to listen to their gut. Let them know that they cannot please everyone, and that is okay.
Ultimately, one of the most important things you can do to help your child navigate negative peer pressure is to talk to them about it. Teach your child how to say no, help them develop the skills to think independently, and encourage self-confidence.