Human beings are naturally social creatures that can be influenced by each other. Teenagers are especially prone to this influence as they are in the prime stage of development—exploring their personalities, identities, and place in the world. Zalamar says peer pressure can be especially effective with kids whose how to deal with peer pressure parents haven’t had these conversations, so it’s important to arm your kids with responses. Parents’ positive feedback turns out to be a booster for their children when they are facing any kind of peer pressure. They act as a guardian who can treat them well and can help in how to tackle peer pressure.

Peer Pressure in Older Teens and Young Adults

• Miami-based licensed mental health counselor Nathalie Fleitas agrees, explaining that during this period, the brain undergoes substantial changes.
• The first step to managing parental peer pressure is acknowledging its presence.
• Keep yourself in hobbies that inspire you, like art, sports, music and anything that makes you really happy.
• Refer to the below questions, which you can ask yourself while dealing with peer pressure and witness your well-being getting restored.
• Below are some of the peer pressure examples which will help you in identifying the good and bad about how to tackle peer pressure in terms of its positive and negative side.
• When necessary, a child may need to simply repeat an assertive and firm “no” to peer requests.

Nevertheless, they need to be prepared in knowing what to say or what to do. Come up with a code word or sentence that your child can use if they find themselves in a bad situation. An example could be, “I want pizza for dinner tonight” and this could be a signal that you need to pick up your child as soon as possible or that your child feels they are in a dangerous situation. An example of good peer pressure could be encouraging someone to study more so they can improve their grades.

Helping Kids Combat Peer Pressure

Rather than worrying about the effects of their children’s friendships, parents would do well to focus on creating a positive, supportive home environment. That way, even if your child is peer pressured to do something they don’t want to do, they’ll feel comfortable coming to you to talk about it first. Rather than enrolling children in activities based on what others are doing—a form of parental peer pressure—parents should encourage pursuits that genuinely interest their child. This approach not only supports the child’s individuality but also promotes intrinsic motivation and happiness, detached from societal comparisons. A telltale sign of parental peer pressure is the constant comparison of one’s child to others. This comparison can erode the child’s self-esteem and foster a competitive rather than collaborative spirit, illustrating the negative impact of pressure from family on children’s development.

Positive peer pressure

This pressure may be overt (e.g. direct goading to try drugs) or subtle (e.g. everyone at a party drinking shots, creating an implicit expectation for others to join in). Saying « no » becomes difficult in such contexts, even when uncomfortable, since humans innately seek to « belong. » The teen years and young adult life often intensify susceptibility while avoiding peer pressure.

• You can experience peer pressure from people without them saying anything to you, and you can experience it from direct remarks made by others.
• Additionally, it can be used to avoid actions that might cause them to end up in trouble with other authority figures like teachers, neighbors, or even the police.
• But 2022 research suggests that if you help make your child feel capable, they’ll be more motivated to solve problems in the future.
• Finding a community or professional support can be invaluable in dealing with parental peer pressure.
• Parents often have good intentions but don’t know how to stay involved with their child — especially in the adolescent and teen years — without applying pressure.

How To Tackle Peer Pressure: Types, Strategies, Examples

How Too Much Parental Pressure Can Affect Kids’ Mental Health

• This means that pressure to commit small wrongs can lead to more serious bad behavior.
• We tend to hear more about the potentially negative effects of peer pressure.
• This pressure challenges parents to discern between their authentic parenting values and the external demands placed upon them by societal comparisons.