“I just felt like something was pressuring me to do it,” John LaDue told his mother after his arrest in 2014. Fortunately, the 11th grader’s plot to carry out the worst school massacre in United States history was stopped before he could implement it. He agreed to receive treatment for a fixation on violence, completed a two-year jail term, and has lived a quiet and productive life since.

As this case and recent events illustrate, there’s a prevalent claim that not only can men and women feel a mental “pressure” to harm themselves and others, but so can kids and teens. What can help us all free ourselves from the influence of such malicious mental arm-twisting?

Christian Scientists, including Sunday School teachers and Christian Science practitioners, have observed the profound benefits that a spiritual focus can bring to young people. Research is catching up, showing that spirituality does supply a protective and healthy advantage to children and teens. Daily prayer and spiritual studies empower children to resist harmful influences and help free them when they are feeling pressured to make wrong choices.