Exodus 23:2 (MSG)
Don’t go along with the crowd in doing evil and don’t fudge your testimony in a case just to please the crowd.

Peer pressure means an influence from one’s peer group and it comes in different forms and things that make one conform to the norm.
Everyone faces peer pressure of some sort-children and adult alike gets pressured always into doing things they normally would not do just to fit in, to belong and be acknowledged.
We should allow our minds to be renewed by the word of God according to Romans 12:2 and not by mere outward disconformity of the ungodly world around us. Peer pressure can have a tremendous impact on a young person’s behaviour. Research shows the most impressionable age for peer influence seems to be the middle school years. This is when a child is forming new friendships and choosing an identity among those friends.
The age comes when children start experimenting with alcohol, drugs, sexual activity, and other risky behaviours, the same for some adults.
But often, the drive to engage in these kinds of behaviour is a result of peer pressure.
People who have a large circle of friends may be less influenced by the suggestions or actions of their peers, but the pressure to conform is very real. According to Proverbs 13:20, very often, the need to conform comes from the need to please our friends, colleagues, and families, sadly not ourselves or God.
In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus describes the spiritual struggle of choosing who or what we follow in life. He calls us to make the right choice as we stand at the fork in the road. On one side sits a wide gate that opens onto a broad road and those who look through the gate will see that the path beyond is wide and well-worn from the number of people who have gone down it. In fact, many can be seen walking that way. But this is the path that leads to death. As Proverbs 14:12 says the road that seems right to you leads to death.
There are many who follow wrong paths, unplanned paths, and different paths because someone said something, did something or directed them to do what others wanted and not what they wanted as seen in Proverbs 1:10.
1 Corinthians 15:33 says evil communications corrupt good manners, you may not always be surrounded by other Christians or people who will be a positive influence on you. God’s word teaches tells us we are to be light in a dark world. However, it is important to remember that you are to be a godly influence on the lives of those around you and to stay on guard against evil influences.
Be sure when you are around evil or ungodly people that you affect them, and they do not infect you. Don’t be deceived, don’t impose on yourselves, or permit others to deceive or pressure you into doing the wrong thing.
The problem with worldly wisdom is that it always seems right, especially when you’re a poppet in a puppeteer’s hand, without comparison to divine perspective, it may look good but if we depend on, allow, and follow human wisdom and its path, it will only mainly lead to death.
We must learn to stand apart from the crowd, confidently follow the right path, and not conform or be pressured to follow peers.
Shalom