Peer pressure The negative impact of peer pressure can be strong - but are there positive influences on your teenager's life, too?

It's quite normal for teenagers to want to copy their friends - whether it's wearing certain clothes or listening to a particular type of music.

This can be hard for parents, who are used to having the major say in their child's life, but it's natural for young people to want to work out their own ideas, and in this regard, friendships become more important than ever.

For boys, friends act primarily as companions, people with whom they can play football, share a joke, hang out and listen to music. For girls, friends are people with whom they can share secrets and share worries and anxieties.

Many parents find friendships during adolescence worrying because they fear that friends will be a bad influence. But without them it's more difficult to learn about social skills and relationships.

Try to accept the key role that friends play, and find ways of encouraging rather than disapproving of the friends that your child brings home.

Responding to peer pressure

Not all teenagers respond in the same way to peer-group pressure: young people aged 11 to 14 appear to be more influenced by it than older teenagers, for example.

Some teenagers are simply more independent than others and can withstand pressure better. Research indicates that teenagers who receive little support at home are the most likely to be influenced by the peer group.

Parents and older siblings can provide ammunition to help a young person withstand pressure from friends or from the wider peer group.

For example, there may be pressure to engage in sexual behaviour earlier than your teenager wants - but good sex education at school, and strong support from family, can help resist it.

A good friend (or more) is also crucial and can help your teen get things in perspective. In the best of cases they may also be able to stand up together against the peer group; two people can resist pressure much easier than one.

This article was last reviewed by Heather Welford in September 2008.

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