Consequences of Peer Pressure
By Ayanda Mazibuko
Being a teenager can be challenging. We tend to do things to impress our friends not realising how our actions could affect our lives negatively.
We fall into the trap of experimenting with drugs, substances and partying the night way. As teenagers we have our fair share of positive and negative experiences, but peers pressure, curiosity, the availability of drugs and alcohol are by far the most destructive forces that affect us as vulnerable young people.
Teenage drug and substance abuse in our social spaces, among friends, at school and in our communities are a direct result of peer pressure. We are good at telling ourselves that ‘everybody else is doing it’ because we think our friends are more important that our health and future.
We are forever trying to belong and impress our friends by being ‘cool’ and getting acceptance in our social circles. We see experimenting with drugs and substances as a casual way of having fun and never see it as damaging our lives.
My feeling is: “All teenagers need to be educated about drug and substance abuse at home and at school. The effects of drug addiction should be taught at home and at schools so we can make better choices about our lives and wellbeing, perhaps we would have less of Teenage Pregnancy in our schools!
Mzukona Mantshontsho is the founder of Nyakaza Media Solutions. Nyakaza Media Solutions is an organisation that was established to help community organisations, business entities, and schools to research, write, document, report, analyse, edit, publish newsletters or bulletins in hard-copy, on-line and maintain websites with the relevant content as per the editorial policy of that organisation, school or entity.
Nyakaza Media Solutions has a vision to promote and bring dialogue to communities, businesses and schools about issues that affect them.
Nyakaza Media Solutions is on a mission to develop and encourage communities, businesses and learners to celebrate the good, applaud excellence, welcome growth, strive to be better individuals, businesses and communities, want more knowledge, discourage bad and counter-productive behaviour as well as communities, businesses and learners that want to be great SOUTH AFRICANS.
Nyakaza Media Solutions is making use of Yo School Magazine as a platform that learners in all schools to make use of to write their stories.
