Global Breaking News - Wednesday, October 7, 2026

 Some people think the family has the strongest influence on young adults. Other people think that friends have the most influence on young adults. Which view do you agree with? Use examples to support your position.

As children turn to teenagers they are influenced by many people and factors. While some people believe that family has the largest influence on young adults, others feel that friends have more influence on young adults. I believe that friends provide a stronger influence on young adults rather than family because of the amount of time spent with friends, and the fact that peer pressure can be one of the strongest influences that a young adult will face.
* turn to = 되다 / factor = 요소 / influence = 영향 / peer pressure = 동료집단으로부터 받는 사회적 압력, 또래집단이 주는 압박감 / face = 직면하다

First, young adults spend a lot of time with their friends. Young children spend the majority of their time with family unless they are in school, which means family exerts the greatest amount of influence. However, as children enter their teenage years, they tend to spend most of their free time outside the house with their friends. Whether fighting against parental influence and control or just trying to make friends, teenagers spend a great deal of time interacting with their peers as they develop their own sense of morals and values. For example, once I entered high school I often spent time away from home studying with friends at their house. After studying we switch to science experiments, which usually involved competitions to see whose homemade rocket would fly the highest. While maybe an uncommon hobby, we found our parents often did not encourage us to explore our interests in science and became more influenced by each other rather than our respective families.
* majority = 가장 많은 수, 다수 / unless = ~하지 않으면 / exert = 영향력을 가하다, 행사하다 / tend to = ~하는 경향이 있다 / parental influence = 부모의 영향력 / a great deal of time = 많은 시간 / peer = 동료, 친구 / sense of morals = 도덕심 / switch to = ~로 바꾸다 / experiment = 실험 / competition = 경쟁 / homemade = 집에서 만든 / uncommon = 흔하지 않은 / explore = 탐험하다, 탐구하다 / respective = 각각의

Second, peer pressure can be one of the strongest influences that teenagers face. Most new experiences that young adults face are the end result of peer pressure. What one teenager thinks is “cool” is forced on to others in order to fit in. For example, the first cigarette I tried was due to the pressure of a classmate in high school. Later in university, the first cocktail I tried was at the urging of classmate that discovered I had never been to the bar. While parents also encourage their children it is usually for an entirely different reason, not wanting their children to embarrass them. Peer pressure also continues to be a major influence, even into adult life.
* teenager = 10대, 청소년 / in order to = ~하기 위해서 / fit in = ~와 어울리다 / cigarette = 담배 / due to = ~때문에 / cocktail = 칵테일 / at the urging of = ~의 재촉으로 / embarrass = 당황스럽게 하다, 곤란하게 하다 

In short, while family influences children the most, as children grow up and become young adults the strongest influences becomes their friends. Teenagers spend the majority of their time with friends, rather than family, so it is only natural that they are a stronger influence. Peer pressure also forces teenagers to try and fit in with their peers, an influence that is much stronger than family.
* In short = 간단히 말하면