Five signs peer pressure could be affecting your child

Peer pressure is one of the more common things that may affect our children, and it can be incredibly dangerous.

Peer pressure can potentially damage the rest of a child’s life, whether it be lowering confidence and denting self-esteem to things like gaining a criminal record or falling down a pathway of drug addiction. So it’s important to spot if you feel your child is struggling with peer pressure.

But how exactly do you spot the signs of peer pressure? Well, there are a few things you can look out for…

Changes in Behaviour or Attitude

Our children do change as they get older, especially as they enter their teenage years. That is natural, but an out of the ordinary attitude or change in behaviour could also be a sign of peer pressure. That may be from the way they talk, respect others, they may even want to dress differently or show interest in other things or develop habits.

Paying attention to these abrupt changes can be incredibly important and a red flag that they may be being pressured.

Engaging in Risky Behaviour

One of the major causes for concern around peer pressure is that it often leads to risky behaviour you wouldn’t usually expect from them.

Many people who struggle with alcohol or drug addiction do so as the result of peer pressure to partake and experiment when younger.

It can significantly affect schooling, relationships with other friends and family and more. The same applies to the likes of vandalism, law breaking, smoking, and anti-social behaviour.

Loss of Interest in Academic or Personal Goals

As part of the change you may see as a result of peer pressure is a decline in school performance and you’ll often see them becoming less interested in extracurricular activities, such as sports or community groups they were once involved in.

If your child is showing disengagement with such pursuits, it may not be as simple as them growing up and no longer being interested, it could be down to negative peer influences, which certainly needs addressing.

Changes in Friendships

A sure sign that something isn’t right is if your child starts to switch social circles, ditching friends that they grew up with and had close bonds with for new groups who may have more questionable values.

A good way to negate this is to encourage your child to cultivate positive friendships that are based on respect and shared interests, which may help in avoiding them falling in with the wrong crowd.

Emotional Distress or Anxiety

Finally, while your child may try to hide emotional distress or worries and anxieties, seeing that they are struggle can be easy to spot.

They may also express such feelings too, so look out for any feelings of insecurity, fears of rejection, and look out for any signs of them seeming withdrawn.

While it may not necessarily mean they are suffering from peer pressure, it’s certainly a sign that something is not right and getting to the bottom of it swiftly is always a good idea to ensure they enjoy what should be an exciting and enjoyable time in their life.