Socialization
At an early age, the peer group becomes an important part of socialization. A 2002 study titled "Adolescents' Peer Groups and Social Identity" published in the journal Social Development supports this statement. Unlike other agents of socialization, such as family and school, peer groups allow children to escape the direct supervision of adults. Among peers, children learn to form relationships on their own, and have the chance to discuss interests that adults may not share with children, such as clothing and popular music, or may not permit, such as drugs and sex.
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