Effects of teenage peer pressure

The effects of Teenage Peer Pressure

In today’s society, most teenagers are extremely influenced by their friends. Relying on friends more than family is very common among today’s teenagers. Unfortunately this results in poor decision making skills and giving into peer pressure. Many teenagers, before the age of 15 years old will have tried drinking, sex, and recreational drugs. Underage drinking is very popular among teenagers. Research has shown that 70% of parties held by a teenager serve alcohol. Many times these parties have no adult supervision, which can result in a disaster. When a teenager is new to drinking he/she can possibly overdose on alcohol. Drinking too much will impair their thinking process which will then lead to horrible decisions such as drinking and driving. Today’s teens are willing to do almost anything to fit in and become popular. If a teenager drinks then drives he/she not only risk his/her own life but the life of the others. He/she choose to drink to fit in with the crowd, not thinking of the consequences. Many teenagers try drugs out of peer pressure and curiosity. They think it will make him/her look cool and fearless. Many teens are actually afraid to try drugs but do it anyway because they are in an environment where others are doing it as well. Drugs can become very addictive and if they like the “buzz” they get the first time, then they will continue to use and form a deadly habit. Doing drugs raises heart rate and blood pressure which can easily lead to a very serious situation and sometimes even life-threatening situations. Many teenagers are involved in recreational drugs and become dependent on the drugs. This dependency can result in becoming involved with selling drugs to make money. There is no positive outcome to forming a drug habit. Many teenagers are having sex. Again, this is a result of peer pressure. Studies show that one-third of young women in the United States become pregnant in their teenage years. More than 80% of teen pregnancies are unintended and unintentional. Teens that end up pregnant many times drop out of school. A teenager is not experienced enough to care for a child on his/her own and will become very dependent on family for emotional and financial support. The majority of teenage girls that become pregnant are not in a lasting relationship with the baby’s father, which leads to problems for the child in his/her future. Pregnancy is not the only problem that can result from teenage sex. Sexually transmitted diseases are very common among today’s teens. Not only is birth control not being used but safe sex is not being practiced. Many teens have multiple partners which results in spreading STD’s. Many STD’s are not curable and cause many health issues. There are many consequences to peer-pressure. Alcohol, sex, and drugs are just a few pressures teens face in our society. It is so very important for teenagers to think before they act and make good decisions. In order to help teens in our society today we need to teach them that having sex, doing drugs, and drinking alcohol are not fun activities and there are plenty of other activities you can do to be entertained and fit in with other groups. In order to solve these issues, schools now offer classes about drugs and alcohol to help prevent it in teens. Schools also offer classes about teen pregnancy so teen girls will know what to expect when having a baby and what you can do with your life if you wait to have kids.
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