The level of peer influence generally increases as children gain independence from the family or caregivers, and before they fully form an adult identity. Preschool children tend to be the least aware of peer pressure, and are the least influenced by the need to conform. However with more social interactions outside the home and more awareness of others, the influence of peers increases (Palmer, 2008)
Studies have shown that young adolescents to be more susceptible to negative peer pressure than those in late adolescence. Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to negative peer, because, they are at a stage of development that have not yet established their own values or understanding about human relationships or the consequences of their behaviour. They are also typically striving for social acceptance at this stage and may be willing to engage in behaviors that will allow them to be accepted that are against their better judgment.
The effects of peer pressure usually begin to be seen heavily by grade 7&8 and through the high school. As children turn into adolescents, involvement with their peers and the attraction of peer identification increases. Teens begin to experience rapid physical, emotional, and social changes, and they begin to question adult standards and the need for parental guidance. It is reassuring for adolescents to turn for advice to friends who understand and sympathize with them.
Adolescents expand their peer relationships to occupy a central role in their lives, often replacing their parents and family as their main source of advice, socializing, and entertainment activities. The peer group is a source of affection, sympathy, understanding, and experimentation. It is also a supportive setting for achieving the two primary developmental tasks of adolescents: finding answers to questions about their identity and discovering their autonomous self that is separate and independent from their parents (Clark, 2009).
