English
SpanishPeer Pressure
Peer pressure can be good or bad - either way it is important to make your own decisions.
Teen
What is peer pressure?
Peer pressure is when the people around you, including friends, siblings, teammates, and classmates, pressure you into doing something. This can range from encouragement to work harder to doing something illegal, or even something that you might not be ready for, like sex.
What can I do?
When you are peer pressured, others make decisions for you. Remember that some forms of peer pressure can have a positive result, like doing well on a test. When this pressure becomes overwhelming, you should consider talking to a teacher or parent.
Sometimes just saying a strong and determined “no” without a lot of explaining is the best.
Maybe you have something else to do, you have to be somewhere at a specific time, or your mom will kill you. It doesn’t matter what excuse you use, just stick to it.
Maybe you can’t go to the party because it's not worth the chance of being grounded. Maybe you don’t want to drink because you know someone who is an alcoholic and you can see how drinking has messed up his/her life.
By thinking of a different activity, you are offering a way to avoid the peer pressure.
If you don’t feel comfortable with what others are getting involved with, sometimes just removing yourself from the situation helps. If you leave, others may also follow.