Teen Peer Pressure: Raising a Peer Pressure-Proof Child
Learn what kinds of peer pressure teens face, who’s most vulnerable, and how to help your son or daughter resist.
Remember when your teenager took her first steps as a toddler? You hovered behind her — back bent, arms spread — prepared to catch her should she fall. Much as you might like, you can’t shadow your adolescent as you did back then, being there to break her fall when she missteps.
But, say experts, there are steps you can take to support your adolescent in the face of teen peer pressure. Follow them and you’ll rest easier when your teen heads out of the house on a Friday night.
Teen Peer Pressure: What’s Being Pushed?
Here are some findings from recent surveys.
- Smoking. By the time adolescents are just 13, one in five has tried smoking.
- Alcohol use. Two-thirds of teens between the ages of 14 and 17 have tried alcohol. Of teen boys who have tried alcohol, 20% did so by the time they were 12. Episodic, or binge drinking, is also fairly common. Of the adolescents aged 12 to 17, one in four said they’d had five or more drinks consecutively within the past month. Almost a quarter of drinkers aged 16 to 21 admitted to driving after drinking.
- Drug use. Slightly more than 25% of adolescents aged 14 to 17 have used illegal drugs. One-third of young adult marijuana users aged 18 to 21 started using the drug by the time they turned 14.
- Sex. About one in every three kids aged 14 to 15 has had sexual intercourse. Of sexually active teens, almost 30% used no birth control during their last sexual encounter.
Other subjects in this article include;
- Identifying Vulnerable Teens
- Why Teens Fall Prey to Peer Pressure
- Making Your Child Resilient to Teen Peer Pressure
In spite of adolescents’ vulnerability and the strong influence of peers, parents can exert a positive influence on their adolescents’ decision-making processes, offering them ways to combat the effects of peer pressure. Experts explain how. Strategies include;
- Keep communication lines open
- Practice peer pressure scenarios
- Listen to your teen’s perspective
- Keep inviting your kids into your life
- Think beyond punitive responses
This article has some excellent proven strategies and can be found at; Raising Peer Pressure Proof Teens.
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The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Surviving Peer Pressure for Teens by Sara Jane Sluke, Hilary Cherniss, Sara Jane Sluke Hilary Cherniss |
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Friends, Cliques, and Peer Pressure: Be True to Yourself (Teen Issues) by Christine Wickert Koubek |
See also;
Alcohol Self-Help News 