The Peer Pressure "Epidemic"

According to the National Library of Medicine, 85 percent of high schoolers have felt peer pressure at on point in their life. This has become a problem not only at our school but also at many other institutions. 

With this topic on hand, it is essential to note that peer pressure can be very dangerous to many, especially pertaining to substances. 

On the first day of the 2023-2024 school year, we got a wake-up call from our new principal. 

“If you supply to get someone high you will not be given a second try,” said Dr. GT, DJDS upper division principal. 

According to the Oxford Dictionary peer pressure is defined as ‘’an influence from members of one's peer group’. However, some students disagree with that definition. “I think that that is just a sugar-coated definition,’’ said DJDS sophomore Sarah Fishman. 

The accessbility of substances and their abuse is higher now more than ever. 

“I have [experienced peer pressure], many times, about different things’’ said Oren Felson, DJDS 8th Grader. Many students agreed with this statement or said similar things even teachers have said that they have also felt peer pressure. 

“When I was in high school I felt pure pressure all the time if it was not every day it was every other day,” said Josh Lake, DJDS Athletic Director. 

Now, many wonder, how can we at this small school help to make our school a safe space to learn and be yourself without peer pressure? To answer this burning question we asked students what would make our school different from other schools and a safer place for them. 

“I feel like we need a box where we can write our problems and someone can help us fix them,’’ said Maya Karlitz, DJDS 8th grader.

According to kidshealth.org, ‘it's natural for people to identify with and compare themselves to their peers as they consider how they wish to be (or think they should be), or what they want to achieve,’