Dangers of belonging to bad peer group

Good peer groups bring positive impact into the life of the individual. Unlike good peer groups, bad peer groups have negative influence on the individual. Some of these are:

i. Drug use and abuse
Children are adventurous; they always want to experience new things. Children among bad peers will always be encouraged by their peers when they want to try wrong things. They involve themselves in various unaccepted behaviour such as smoking, drug use etc. This act can lead to madness when excessively done.

ii. Engagement in pre-marital sex
Sexual arousal is natural and it is part of human development. Adolescents develop strong desire for the opposite sex. Children, who find themselves with good peers, are able to abstain from any sexual intercourse with the opposite sex because they are influenced positively. Children who find themselves with bad peers are mostly encouraged into those acts. They engage in pre-marital sex which may lead to pregnancy, contracting of STI/HIV/AIDS etc.

iii. Prostitution
Some of the women sell their bodies through sex for money. They do this because of peer pressure and sometimes envy. They always want to look good and want to have things they cannot afford. They want to be ahead of their friends and this makes them indulge in prostitution. They sleep with people for money.

iv. Robbery
Bad peer group influences members into robbery. Robbery usually starts from petty theft. This may later turn into armed robbery. Thieves are not always satisfied with what they have. So, they move into robbery to acquire more.

v. Destruction of one’s future plans
Members in bad peer groups have their plans destroyed. This is because they indulge in bad practices which make them shift their focus from their future plans.