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know anyone in your grade who smokes or vapes? If they offer you a cigarette or encourage you to try vaping, then they are using peer pressure. Giving in to that pressure could change you in ways that will permanently damage your lungs, heart, and brain. Why People Pressure Others Peer pressure is a problem with a complex origin and convoluted psychology behind it. Kids in your grade who smoke may have many reasons for doing so. Some may have parents who smoke, and their smoking may be an emulation of this adult behavior. Others may want to be rebellious and act out in ways that make them feel like an adult. Some may think that vaping or smoking will make them look attractive or “cool.” Whatever the reason, people your age decide to smoke or vape nearly every day. Often, they try to pressure people in their peer group to join them. Again, there are many reasons for the pressure. Some may think that smoking has benefits that are worth sharing with you. They may like the way that it feels to smoke, and think that you would like it also, or they may just want a friend to share their activity with. That said, there are other influences that may also cause peer pressure. Students in middle school and high school are transitioning from childhood to adulthood. Many young people feel like this is a time for them to leave behind their interests in “childish” things, like toys, sports, or video games, and strive to become more “adult.” This can be positive when young people take on more age-appropriate responsibilities, such as getting a part-time job or taking on additional chores to help out their parents at home. But it can also have negative aspects. Some young people may turn to cigarettes or other tobacco products to feel more “adult” and in control of their life. “Research shows the most impressionable age for peer influence seems to be the middle school years,” notes an article on the website

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The Nature of Peer Pressure