Peer pressure is the influence wielded by people within the same social group. It is also the term used to describe the effect this influence has on a person to conform in order to be accepted by the group. Often, peers are thought of as friends, but peers can be anyone of a similar status, such as people who are the same age, who have the same abilities, or who share a social status.

Peer pressure is commonly thought of in a negative light, but in reality, it’s not always a bad thing. Sometimes peer pressure is used to positively influence people, such as when teens work toward common goals such as doing well in school or helping out in their community. Learning about acceptable group norms can be a positive part of learning how to live with and socialize with other people.

The way your child (or you, for that matter) responds to peer pressure can indicate who they are as an individual. Natural leaders tend to be less susceptible to bad forms of peer pressure, while followers may have a harder time resisting it.

There are a variety of negative health indicators that show a peek during adolescence, namely homicide rates, non-intentional injuries, driving under alcohol effect or infection by sexually-transmitted diseases. Experimenting substances also occurs usually during adolescents, a time of development in which tolerance is lower and the risk of dependency increases. Peers and family have a key role in promoting health during adolescence, as well as, the perception that youngsters have of their quality of life and subjective well-being. Health does not depend solely on the delivery of health care during illness; on the contrary, influence of different settings may be crucial .

Some signs that your child may be experiencing peer pressure include:

• Avoiding school or other social situations
• Being very image-conscious¹
• Changes in behavior                                                                                                                          
• Expressing feeling like they don’t fit in
• Low moods
• Making social comparisons
• Trouble sleeping
• Trying out new hair or clothing styles

• The relation with parents may be a mitigating factor of the negative influence by peers. Communicating family rules and parental style have been inversely associated to substance, alcohol and tobacco consumption during adolescence. This influence is essential for adolescents’ development up to adulthood. Communication between parents and adolescents emerges as a protective factor for alcohol, tobacco and substance use

Of course this has both positive and negative conspicuities

Positive Peer Pressure

Positive peer pressure is when someone’s peers encourage them to do something positive or push them to grow in a beneficial way.

Here are a few examples of positive peer pressure:

• Pushing a friend to study harder so they can get better grades
• Getting an after-school job and convincing friends to get a job too
• Saving money for a big purchase like a car and encouraging friends to do the same                                                       
• Disapproving of bigoted jokes or gossiping
• Discouraging illegal or risky behavior, like under-age drinking or smoking

Negative Peer Pressure

Negative peer pressure, on the other hand, involves pressure to do something dangerous or damaging to themselves or others.

Here some examples of negative peer pressure:

• Convincing a friend to skip school
• Encouraging a peer to fight or bully someone
• Getting friends to engage in sexting
• Pressuring a friend to drink or try drugs
• Pushing someone to buy e-cigarettes online                                                                                                              

While peer pressure can be difficult, it isn’t always a bad thing. Positive peer pressure can be a valuable part of learning how to socialize and even growing as a person. The type of peer pressure your child is experiencing depends on the peer group they socialize with as well as the larger social groups they interact with, both in person and online.

• If you suspect that your kids are struggling with negative peer pressure, encourage them to talk to you. Sometimes kids don’t want to talk to their parents about peer pressure. If that’s the case, don’t take it personally. Encourage them to talk about it with another trusted adult, like a teacher, a school counselor, a doctor, or a therapist. 
• 
• Danai Paschalidi, A4

In the past 2 years of the pandemic of Covid 19, the way we dress and we look has altered. After interviewing some people of different ages I came to the conclusion that each individual changed in a different way during this difficult period.

On the one hand, people in my immediate circle have come to me telling me how much weight they have gained or lost something which I believe is quite normal. Being inside four walls with the fridge in the next room and delivery available with a phone call, it is easy to give into temptation. However, since tik tok became a big hit we can see people, mostly teenagers, who have the desire to experiment with ingredients and prepare a meal which would be nutritional and fulfilling. On the contrary, if there weren’t a lockdown, people would be so busy with their work that they would not be able to prepare something healthy. Even so, if they ate junk food they would burn off calories by being on the move continuously.

On the other hand, the pandemic had and still has a big impact on our stylistic choices as well. To begin with, during the lockdowns people were forced to have online classes, meetings, lessons and ,in general, communication via a laptop with others. When someone has a conference call, one has two options; whether to turn on the camera and look presentable or keep the camera off and wear whatever piece of clothing one wants. The first option affected fashion because most people do not want to wear everyday clothes and so they choose “cosy” pieces of clothing. This decision made shops want to promote clothes in which people feel comfortable but productive as they would try to avoid wearing pyjamas. The second option had an impact on fashion as well, because now whole collections of pyjamas, fluffy socks and woollen slippers have flooded the market.

All in all, the lockdown has positively marked the fashion department with a new style. This style combines comfort with sophistication.

Interviews with:

40 year old women

• I got my hair dyed blonde
• I started wearing more comfy clothes at home like bell-bottom trousers, long cardigans and oversized sweaters and sweatshirts. Also, I started buying warm socks and slippers and in combination with the above I would feel both ready to do housework and to relax on my couch. Now, when I am going out for a walk I prefer simple outfits with a touch of finesse. I think the best way to describe this style is “impressive in everyday clothes”. Moreover, as for my work clothes, i stopped wearing suits and during the lockdown, I had the chance to experiment with other styles and try to adapt them to my personal one. I believe this “work” style can be described as “simple and comfy with heels and earrings”.

Teenage girls and boys 

-how did lockdown affect your appearance or your friends’ ?

• I gained weight
• My body and my dress style changed
• After going back to school following the lockdown, I couldn’t recognize my classmates as they had all changed.
• I gained some weight because I was in front of a laptop 24/7 and this had an impact on my lifestyle and my habits.