The Bad Affects of Fooling Around With the Wrong Crowd

I thank you, dear listeners, for welcoming me into your homes, workplaces, and shops.

As usual, I will introduce myself. I am Faiz. In this segment of the programme, we will listen to the first part of the programme. Then we will return to continue this programme. Ahmad? Where have you been? I called your mother today, and she said Ahmad hasn’t come here. You told me this morning that you were going to your mother's house. You’ve been a bit lost lately. You’re not telling me the truth about anything. Oh, Nargis dear. I went out today with my friends to have some fun. Did you have a good time? Ahmad, you seemed in good spirits. You told me you were going to your mother’s house. Why did you lie to me?

Your new friends have taken you away from your life. I really wanted to go to my mother’s house. That's why I left home. On the way here, I saw my friends standing at the corner. They were getting ready to go out for fun. Then they said to me, “Ahmad, come with us to have some fun.” I went with them. But Ahmad, you’ve been spending a lot of time with some of your new friends lately. I’m not saying it’s bad to make friends. But you always need to think about what kind of friends you’re choosing. Do they understand you better than your family?

I think these kids are really nice. They joke around. I have fun with them. Life isn't always about family. It's true that it’s fun to be with your friends. But I want to tell you that if your friendships aren’t right, your future will be ruined. Oh, Nargis, I don’t understand. I don’t think he has a bad education. Ahmad dear, sometimes education comes slowly. You’ve only seen your mother once today. You’ve distanced yourself from your family. But tomorrow, you may make a very wrong decision. A good friend is someone who guides you towards good actions and faith, Ahmad, not just someone who says, “Come, let’s have fun.”

Nargis, I understand your point. Maybe I’ll think again about choosing my friends. My dear Nargis, can we have a bit of tea? I called my mother and told her to come to the park. I said that you and I should grab a tea and sit there and chat. That sounds good. Great. I’m really happy to hear that. I’ll make a pot of tea right now, and we’ll go together. Honestly, Nargis dear, I think a lot about what you said. It was these friends who encouraged me that my family is no good for me. I should be with them. I’m young. I need to have fun.

When I think about your words, I’ve come to the conclusion that family is more important, and that a friend who takes me away from my family isn’t a real friend. I’m so happy for you, Ahmad. This means you’ve understood that those stories about friendships aren’t valuable. My dear, I read something beautiful in the Bible that says, “Do not be deceived. Bad company corrupts good character.” Exactly, my dear. Friendship is like a mirror. If the friendship is healthy, wise, and faithful, you will also walk along that path with them. My dear.

Now, I want to spend time with people who care about me. They think about the future and encourage me towards good actions. Unlike my previous friends, who distanced me from my family. Ahmad dear, a good friendship encourages you to be yourself, to grow, and to get closer to God. In your life and future, you will reach your family. Oh my dear, from today onwards, I want to be serious in choosing my friends. Not just for fun. I want to choose friends who will be beneficial for my future, for life, and for strengthening my relationship with God.

Well done, my dear. You can also consider me as a friend. I will always be with you. And I want to be a partner who grows together with you. Not just in knowledge but in faith and character. Dear listeners and respected youth, we warmly welcome you to this part of the programme. We are very happy to be serving you again with a fantastic programme. Dear listeners, the topic of our programme this time is the dangers of spending too much time with friends for young people. Yes, dear listeners, as always, we have our dear colleague Faiz with us in the programme, who every time shares his insights and experiences to benefit us.

Hello, Faiz dear, welcome to the programme. Thank you, Nargis dear, for bringing us together in this programme to discuss a very important issue that is currently affecting youth in society. Just as you mentioned, the dangers of spending too much time with friends. Dear friends and respected listeners, today we see how much our youth are grappling with this issue. They spend their time in the streets, running from one house to another, wasting their time. The effects of this can lead to serious problems in the future.

Nargis, you’ve chosen a very good topic. Let’s talk more about it. Yes, exactly, dear colleagues, when young people are excessively indulged in wandering and having fun with their friends, they gradually lose sight of their life goals, studies, and main responsibilities. This can have very serious negative effects on their lives. Some think that hanging out with friends is just entertainment or fun. But in reality, it can affect confidence, focus, morale, and even the future of the youth.

So let’s hear from Faiz about what the problems of friendship are for young people and what negative effects and consequences it has. Yes, thank you again, Nargis. A very important and fundamental question. The problems of friendship for young people or the issues arising from spending too much time with friends can create significant challenges. Nargis, let me share a few scientific topics with you here. Some time ago, I read an article about the dangers of spending too much time with friends, which highlighted many concerns. Let me tell you more about it.

An interesting point from a scientific perspective is that in social psychology, there is a phenomenon called groupthink. When young people spend too much time in a fixed group, their brains gradually lose critical thinking. This phenomenon is called groupthink. The brain functions to maintain harmony with the group, meaning it prefers to conform to the crowd to avoid being ostracised. Research shows that in very close groups, young people make decisions to gain the attention of others that they would never make alone.

So the scientific point here is that spending time with others diminishes the brain's ability to consolidate memories and process information internally, Nargis dear. Another interesting phenomenon we see today is the “friendship FOMO” among youth. This is due to the constant access through social media, where young people feel they must be present in all moments and activities of their friends. This behaviour creates confusion between friendship and dependency.

We see that there’s a phenomenon of strategic isolation among successful youth. They mainly separate themselves from groups to work on their personal skills, thereby growing. They’ve realised that constant presence in a group diminishes their value. If we constantly hang around with friends, we eventually lose our individuality. Young people need to spend time alone to work on themselves, focus on their lives, and futures.

It’s true that we need rest and friends, but we also need to know how we can grow. Identifying toxic friends and spending excessive time with them leads to friendships that hide jealousy or control beneath a veneer of friendliness. Young people need to step back to view their relationships more objectively. If you’re too immersed in a relationship, gradually, you lose that external perspective.

Dear friends and respected listeners, scientific studies indicate that the best version of yourself is built in solitude and showcased in society. If we don’t allow time for solitude, we won’t have anything to present to society. So, young people, strive to create the best version of yourselves in solitude. Follow the 20-80 rule: 80% of your time should be spent on growth and work, while 20% can be for enjoying time with friends. If you reverse this rule, spending 80% enjoying time with friends, you’ll end up neglecting your growth and your future will be adversely affected.

Nargis dear, this was the topic I wanted to share with you, and you asked about the problems of friendship for young people. We see that when a youth enters into friendships without thinking or goals, it first affects their concentration and personal growth. Spending hours with friends, and whether on the phone or the internet, gradually leads them to ruin their lives.

Nargis dear, yes, exactly, dear listeners, we want to share another part of the programme related to our topic. I want to share a verse from the Bible. God says in the Bible, in Proverbs 13:20, “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.” Young people, we see that God has rightly guided us in His verses, telling us to associate with wise individuals, as they will make us wise, and not to associate with foolish people, as they will harm us.

Yes, dear listeners, in this part of the programme, let’s listen to a beautiful song together. After the song, we will welcome you back to continue this programme. "In the Messiah, you have no verses, no verses. Oh, you who are lost in the path of righteousness, in this realm, your problems become easy. Listen to the sound of the one who is the Messiah." Yes, dear listeners, that was a beautiful song we listened to together, and our programme topic was the dangers of spending too much time with friends for young people. Our dear colleague Faiz shared scientific insights on this subject, discussing what the problems of friendship are. Faiz, let’s talk more about the issues so our dear listeners can better understand the negative effects of friendships for young people and also identify ways to prevent and manage this issue.

Yes, Nargis dear, it’s a very important topic. What are the negative effects of spending too much time with friends? What negative effects does this have and how can we find ways to gradually overcome these issues? The first issue is the reduction in focus on studies and education. Young people who spend excessive time on friendships have less energy for studying and educational skills. If you remember, the 20-80 rule goes away; they end up spending 80% of their time with friends and only 20% on their studies and personal growth.

The second issue, dear friends and respected listeners, is distrust and heartbreak. When relationships lack sincerity, the psychological effects can be long-lasting. A broken heart makes it difficult for young people to trust others again. This emotional aspect is crucial as we see that when someone cares for another and wants to build a future with them, if there’s a lack of honesty in that relationship, gradually distrust builds.

Nargis dear, the third issue is emotional dependency. Some young people may rely on friendships for happiness or peace and lose the ability to manage their emotions. This lack of friends can lead to anxiety, restlessness, and feelings of emptiness. Young people gradually lose their emotional independence as their decisions become dependent on others' opinions.

The fourth issue is hasty decisions. Pressures from groups and friends can lead young people to make rash or risky decisions. This is very dangerous; sometimes, young people act against their own values and beliefs to fit in, which can lead to negative consequences.

These are the issues that arise when we spend too much time with friends or engage in friendships without thinking. I have highlighted several important points regarding prevention and management of this situation. First, young people need to ask themselves what their goal is before starting any friendship. What do I want from this relationship? What do I want to achieve?

Some make friends to learn from someone, while others just want to avoid loneliness. It’s essential to define your goals in friendship clearly. If the friendship is healthy, it will foster personal growth, ethical development, and spiritual progress. If it’s unhealthy, it will lead to negative behaviours and spiritual decline.

The second point is honesty and transparency. If we don’t have genuine feelings, we shouldn’t enter into serious friendships. If we want to be friends with someone, we should be clear about our intentions and feelings.

The third point is to choose friends wisely. A true friend is someone who encourages your growth, not just your enjoyment.

The fourth point is to maintain balance in life. The more balance you have, the better your life becomes. Lack of balance leads to deterioration in all aspects of life.

Nargis dear, I highlighted four crucial topics for prevention and management of this issue. Thank you, Nargis.

Yes, thank you, dear colleague. We’ve recalled many important strategies for our listeners on how young people can prevent excessive time spent with friends. Yes, dear listeners, in conclusion, we’ve learned that unregulated friendships without responsibility can have serious effects on our lives, reducing confidence, negatively impacting studies and future, and even harming social interaction and morale.

Having friends isn’t bad, but it’s important to consider the kind of friends we have and how much time we spend with them. The good news, dear young people, is that all these problems mentioned by our dear colleague are preventable. By having goals, planning, choosing the right friends, maintaining balance, and caring for ourselves and others, we can avoid the negative effects of excessive time spent with friends and build healthy relationships.

We must not forget that God is always aware of our hearts. If we act with honesty and love, not only will we fill others’ hearts with peace and joy, but our hearts will also be filled with the same.

Yes, dear listeners, this was our programme for this time. Until the next programme, may God keep you safe.