Bad decisions. You can make them anywhere at any time. Peer pressure is commonly perceived as the cause of most youths’ bad decisions, but it could equally be the reason they avoided one.

I am grateful for the friends that have talked me out of doing things I know I would have regretted, and because of what those friends did for me, I always try to do the same for others. Peer pressure can no doubt be a danger to youths, but by working together, kids can use peer pressure in a positive way that could potentially change lives.

Teens will naturally follow what their peers are doing. It’s estimated that around 3.1 million teens smoke according to the American Lung Association. Many of the teens that were surveyed said that they started smoking because of their friends and because they thought that it was cool. If the message of teen peer pressure changed from “it’s cool to smoke” and “all my friends do it,” to “it’s uncool to smoke” and “none of my friends do it,” what do you think would happen? I am positive that the number of teens that smoke or use drugs today would significantly decrease.

Peer pressure doesn’t only apply to smoking; there are many ways that kids are pressured in today’s society. Just like you can pressure someone into doing something bad, you can also encourage someone to do what is right. Because kids usually take into consideration the advice that is given from their peers, rather than from their parents, kids can surround themselves with peers that have a similar, positive mentality and can be a better influence.

Life is too short already, and by making certain bad decisions, you could end up shortening your life. So let’s transform our message from detrimental to beneficial. By doing so, we could potentially change someone’s life.