As teenagers, it’s normal for students to want to have friends and fit in with a group. However, sometimes when trying to fit in, they give in to peer pressure and find themselves doing things they don’t feel comfortable doing. This can be due to the perceived repercussions from their peer group if they don’t join in the group behaviour. Use this lesson to start the conversation with students about peer pressure.
Learning Intention
Students discuss peer pressure and explore the concept of fitting in.
Key Outcomes
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
- define peer pressure
- identify common peer pressure situations
- feel more confident about handling peer pressure.
Activity 01
Instructions 5 min
- Ask students:
- What is peer pressure?
- What types of things can individuals be peer pressured into doing?
- If a young person doesn't want to do something, what might the result be?
- Show students the following meme (or other meme of your choosing): ‘Stop trying to fit into the wrong herd’.
- In small groups or individually, ask students to discuss:
- What message is the creator trying to convey?
- Why is this an important message?
Note: Emphasise to students that the point of the meme is to encourage people to be themselves and to find friends who value who they are and don’t try to pressure them into being someone else. Students may want to refer to the ReachOut.com article ' What is peer pressure?' for support answering questions in this activity.
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