Peer pressure isn't just about those that you know in real life, but also those you know online. The people you interact with online have just as much as influence on you as those you interact with in real life, and that's something you need to think about for a moment. You may text those you know and go to school with, but you are likely to have those online you message and keep track of. When they are hurting you want to console them, when they celebrate you want to celebrate with them, and they are likely to do the same for you. They are just as much friends to you as a lot of your real life friends are, and odds are good that some of your online friends are your best friends.
There is nothing wrong with that, despite what your parents may think.
Those relationships are just as valid to you as your real life relationships, and that's not a bad thing. Any time you react to another person as a person that's a good thing; being human should be encouraged. However, that means that means that they are an influence on you, and that's something you need to keep in mind: They have just as much an influence on you as your real life friends, and that influence can actually be greater as you aren't likely to guard against what they are saying as you would against someone who was physically in front of you. That's not the actual case.
You need to keep in mind that you need to treat them as you would in real life. There's a part of you that feels that, because you can turn them off at any time, they aren't as important to you as your other friends. It just doesn't work that way: You can cause just as much damage to them as if you were in real life. Worse, you are more likely to cause damage to those that play with you on accident because you believe that you can not be attacked; you know that if things get too bad you can go elsewhere an that no one in the game can harm you. This is not the case.
You are allowed to throw some abuse around, but try to limit it to how much you would give your friends in real life. You need to treat your online friends in much the same way as you would your real-life friends. Besides allowing you to build a greater circle of friends, it also shows that you respect them as well. That respect can be worth setting up, as people tend to listen you, and invite you into groups. In short, treat your online relationships as you would real-life relationships, including virtual gifts, in-jokes, and all of the usual fun, and you will find that you will have a lot more fun online.
There is nothing wrong with that, despite what your parents may think.
Those relationships are just as valid to you as your real life relationships, and that's not a bad thing. Any time you react to another person as a person that's a good thing; being human should be encouraged. However, that means that means that they are an influence on you, and that's something you need to keep in mind: They have just as much an influence on you as your real life friends, and that influence can actually be greater as you aren't likely to guard against what they are saying as you would against someone who was physically in front of you. That's not the actual case.
You need to keep in mind that you need to treat them as you would in real life. There's a part of you that feels that, because you can turn them off at any time, they aren't as important to you as your other friends. It just doesn't work that way: You can cause just as much damage to them as if you were in real life. Worse, you are more likely to cause damage to those that play with you on accident because you believe that you can not be attacked; you know that if things get too bad you can go elsewhere an that no one in the game can harm you. This is not the case.
You are allowed to throw some abuse around, but try to limit it to how much you would give your friends in real life. You need to treat your online friends in much the same way as you would your real-life friends. Besides allowing you to build a greater circle of friends, it also shows that you respect them as well. That respect can be worth setting up, as people tend to listen you, and invite you into groups. In short, treat your online relationships as you would real-life relationships, including virtual gifts, in-jokes, and all of the usual fun, and you will find that you will have a lot more fun online.
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