Peer pressure is a common thing found in children and teenagers roughly the age of 9-16 years old. It is a well-known psychological effect that causes people to adjust their own opinions and behaviors to fit within the group.

The origin of peer pressure was found in prehistory when fitting within the herd was necessary to survive.

Till now it is being used a lot especially from children starting at a young age. Feeling the need to be accepted or having your feelings validated is what a lot of young people have gone through.

When we value the opinions and acceptance of our peers, it can influence our choices and behavior, making us feel pressured to conform to their expectations in order to fit in or be liked.

77% of students feel peer pressure by their friends. Every student I interviewed had said to be peer pressured by people close to their age.

“I wanted to be able to side with my friends but knew that I would be hurting my other friend and was scared that I would’ve lost my friend group because of that,” KheJean Bennett (11) said.

The same goes for many people as well. In fear of losing their friendship or trust, they do things they don’t want to.

“Yes, I have been told many times in my life to do things that I didn’t want,” Pramisha Rai (11) said.

Although she didn’t want to, she must as she doesn’t want to be ridiculed by others. Peer pressure can come in many forms.

Social media is also a form of peer pressure. It can cause other users to conform to certain trend or lifestyles.

“Yes, because you see the lives of other people and you feel a sense of comparison to them,” Paw Wah Wah (11) said.

Getting peer pressured is no joke. It can be very intense and can often lead to feeling inferior to others or losing confidence in yourself.