Destruction of Teenage Years Due to The Negative Effects of Peer Pressure

 It's common for children to be influenced by their peers upon entering secondary school as they negotiate and manage new frameworks around friendships, beliefs, and where they fit in. Students may act or speak in ways that they wouldn't otherwise do or say due to peer pressure. The pressure placed on a student by their peers to perform better in class or to resist bullying doesn't necessarily have negative effects. On the other hand, some influences can be harmful, such as peer pressure to belittle others or engage in unsafe behavior like binge drinking. This kind of peer pressure can affect a student's sense of self-worth and self-concept and may cause them to become socially isolated from their family and friends.

According to one study, peer pressure has affected 85% of high school pupils. This operates as an imperceptible force with both favorable and unfavorable effects. The first can take the form of a group of similarly aged students encouraging one another to study, get ready for tests, and help one another break bad habits. However, when weak kids drop out of school, feel cognitively inferior, impulsively follow others, or lose self-esteem, peer pressure encourages harmful rivalry. The issue is made worse by competitive parents who judge and compare their kids to others.

Peer pressure may have the following unfavorable effects during teenage years:

• Depression and phobias: We can experience anxiety and depression when we are with individuals who push us to make decisions that we don't feel comfortable making.2
• Conflicts or a lack of contact with family and friends: We often feel horrible about ourselves as a result of negative peer pressure, which might lead us to distance ourselves from others we care about.
• Academic distractions: Due to engaging in behaviors we wouldn't typically perform or being preoccupied with ideas about social pressure, we can occasionally become diverted from our priorities as a result of peer pressure.
• Friends may exert pressure on one another to partake in risky behaviors such as drinking, experimenting with illegal substances, having inappropriate sex, or driving recklessly.  

How may peer pressure not negatively impact your mental health?

• Pick your buddies carefully. Take note of how they engage with you and any plans they may have for your friendship.
• Encourage yourself to look for supportive relationships that lift your spirits and motivate you to adopt healthy habits.
• The ability to say "NO" will rescue you from a lifetime of regrettable circumstances, even though it initially seems harsh.
• It may be tempting to give in to temptations, but because every temptation has grave repercussions, it is wiser to maintain your composure and decline your friends' offers to engage in harmful behaviors.
• Engage an adult—adults, particularly your parents, can serve as a strong cushion for resisting pressure.

- HIMANSHU