Social Issues

I think that a social issue that kids these days face is peer pressure. I feel like this is a really important issue when it comes to problems because it’s a lot like bullying, except you’re bullied by your friends. Peer pressure and bullying are very similar. Just like bullying, it’s hard to stand up to your friends, to say ‘no.’ And also, peer pressure makes it harder to stand up too, because you’re scared that your friends won’t like you if you stand up to them. In bullying, victims don’t necessarily care about how the bully thinks about them. Sure, it’s still hard to stand up too, but that’s the same in peer pressure. They’re very similar, except people don’t think peer pressure to be as big an issue as bullying. It often gets overlooked, though it’s just as important a matter.

In addition, as similar to bullying, when pressured by peers you are forced to do things against your will. Kids who give in to peer pressure probably heer a nagging voice in the back of their heads saying this isn’t right. I shouldn’t do it. But they ignore it. So they go against their wills. They might start thinking thoughts that aren’t their own, such as should I drink more wine or should I stay up past 2. Kids don’t realize how their friends are giving them bad advice, so they simply follow it. T After all, that is easier. Their own thoughts get jumbled, which definitely isn’t good.

Finally, if experiencing peer pressure, you are pressured to do something that isn’t right, like drink wine at 16 or wear inappropriate clothing.Usually, for giving in, you experience trouble from parents and teachers, maybe even the police if you do something as bad as steal. Sometimes, the friend who was pressuring you escapes while you take the blame. You can almost always expect trouble from giving in to peer pressure,  even if it isn’t your fault.

I think that peer pressure is more of an issue today than it used to be because now, kids are getting more rebellious and new inappropriate fads are coming in. Such as the fact that a while ago, wine was outlawed for everybody and making out in public was considered really bad. Also, children are more likely to experience peer pressure as they got older because that’s when kids discover their rebellious nature. For example, kids in kindergarten don’t worry too much about peer pressure, while kids in high school do.

This is why I think that peer pressure is an important issue to be addressed. Because when people are bullied by those whom they call friends, things won’t be good for them.

One thought on “Social Issues

  1. Arya, what a thoughtful post. I really like how you compared peer pressure to bullying. I agree it is a huge problem and often times kids take bad advice from their friends. Thank you for sharing your perspective. You have a lot of wisdom in your writing!

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