Bella Thorne discusses her experiences with peer pressure as a teenager in California. She admits that many of her friends feel pressured by their peers to drink, do drugs, or make other bad decisions. Bella wants to help teens resist peer pressure and make their own good choices. She believes in being direct and saying a firm "no" when feeling pressured. Bella also thinks it's important for teens to have open discussions with friends about peer pressure and to avoid situations where they may feel pressured.

1. 42 J14.com
T
he sun is setting on a perfect
summer day in California. Bella
Thorne is at a party enjoying her
friends, laughing with her BF, Tristan
Klier, and meeting tons of new people.
But as the night kicks into high gear,
Bella notices that some of her fellow
teens are taking things too far —
drinking or doing drugs, and pressur-
ing others to do the same. “I have a
lot of friends that get peer pressured,”
Bella admits to J-14. “I see kids who
are pressured to make the wrong
decision all the time.”
Sadly, it’s a scene familiar to many
J-14 readers and it can make even the
strongest girl uncomfortable. In fact,
according to Mothers Against Drunk
Driving, 66% of teens have reported
that peer pressure is the primary
reason that they tried drinking.
Bella knows from first-hand experi-
ence that standing up to peer pres-
sure is hard, and she wants to help
teens resist making bad choices. “I’m
just a regular teenager,” Bella tells
J-14. “I have to do homework and all
of that fun junk. But I’m very deter-
mined. If I don’t want to do something,
Bye-byepeerpressure!
“If you don’t feel 100%
about it, then it shouldn’t
happen,” Bella says about
handling peer pressure.
“Ithurtsmeto
wrong
▲ Olivia Holt’s besties on I Didn’t
Do It always have her back. But
even BFFs can make bad choices.
Check out J-14’s tips for battling
peer pressure to the right!
bellaopensup:
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2. 43J-14
I’m not going to do it — and nobody
peer pressures me!”
Takingastand
As part of Bella’s commitment to
helping teens stand up to drinking,
doing drugs, and driving unsafely,
she signed on as the celebrity face
of the iDECIDE campaign earlier
this year. “I did the campaign
because I wanted to be another
influence to tell teens, ‘You make
your own decisions. Don’t let
anyone do that for you,’” Bella
reveals to J-14. “It’s nice for them
to know that someone has their
back to make the right decision.”
For Bella, resisting peer pressure
is a matter of being completely
direct, even if the person pressur-
ing you is your BF or BFF. “Just say
‘No!’” she recommends. “Just say
it straight-up. Don’t be like, ‘Well,
maybe … ’ That’ll lead people
to think that they have room to
pressure you into something. You
just give them a straight-up ‘No!’
Or even, ‘Nope, sorry.’ But as soon
as you pause to think about it,
that’s when someone will try to
work their way in there!”
Findingabalance
Making the right decisions doesn’t
mean your social life has to suffer.
If you just have an open discussion
with your friends about peer
pressure, you all can avoid it
together. “It’s important that you’re
with your friends and having a
good time,” Bella tells J-14. “[Be]
very open with your friends —
that’s the most important thing.”
Still, if you know a party is going
to be a little too wild, remind
yourself that a night at home isn’t
the end of the world. “I use my time
off to relax and watch a lot of TV
shows,” Bella reveals to J-14. “[But]
you can go to parties, socialize and
have fun while not drinking.” As
long as you’re aware of peer
pressure and your own stance on
it, you’ll be able to avoid the pitfalls
that other teens fall into. No matter
what the situation, Bella knows that
the key to making the right choice
is staying true to yourself and your
values. “I’m just being me,” Bella
shares. And with Bella behind you,
every J-14 reader should feel
confident to just be you, too!
Sick and tired of watching
other teens get peer pressured,
Bella’s speaking out.
PHOTOS:RAPALO/LONDONENTERTAINMENT/SPLASHNEWS;SARAJAYEWEISS/STARTRAKSPHOTO.COM;(2)
seekidsmakingthe
decision!”
She hangs
with good
influences!
“[My friends] are
conscientious of
the world around
them and want
to make a differ-
ence,” Bella says
about the people
she chooses to
spend time with.
She has
so many
hobbies!
When she’s
not acting or
singing, Bella
stays busy
with her other
interests, like
fashion. “My
sister loves
design and I
do too,” Bella
reveals only to
J-14. “It’s very
interesting [to
me].”
She gives
back!
Volunteering
keeps Bella on
the right track.
“I like to get
away from the
Hollywood
scene,” Bella
says. She loves
helping out
with charities
like the L.A.
Mission and
The Humane
Society!
Staying above peer pressure
isn’t easy, but Bella has a few
important tricks up her sleeve!
HowBellastaysgrounded!
Overthephone OnlineAtaparty
✔ Use the buddy sys-
tem! Before going, make
a pact that you’ll avoid
peer pressure together.
✔ Bring your favorite
soft drinks in case the
host is serving something
that’s inappropriate.
✔ If you have a gut feel-
ing that a party is going
to be bad news, schedule
your own alternative bash
with your besties.
✔ Only give your num-
ber out to trusted friends
and family members.
✔ If someone sends
you (or asks you to send)
inappropriate pics and
messages, block them
from contacting you.
✔ Take a break and turn
off your phone’s data.
You’ll be able to make
calls but you won’t get
any texts or emails.
✔ You may see other
girls getting tons of likes
for racy pics — but
remind yourself that
that's not really the kind
of attention you want.
✔ Unfollow anyone
who posts pics of
themselves engaging
in dangerous behavior.
✔ Take part in a
positive-affirming trend,
like #100happydays.