Describe the role of culture in adolescent friendships.

What will be an ideal response?

In some countries, adults restrict adolescents' access to peers. For example, in many areas of rural India and in some Arab countries, opportunities for peer relations in adolescence are severely restricted, especially for girls. In these countries, interaction with the other sex or opportunities for romantic relationships are restricted, if not totally prohibited. In a cross-cultural analysis, the peer group was more important to U.S. adolescents than to Japanese adolescents. In Southeast Asia and some Arab regions, adolescents are starting to rely more on peers for advice and to share interests with them. In many countries and regions, peers play more prominent roles in adolescents' lives. For example, in sub-Saharan Africa, the peer group is a pervasive aspect of adolescents' lives; similar results have been observed throughout Europe and North America. In some cultural settings, peers even assume responsibilities usually assumed by parents. For example, street youth, in South America, rely on networks of peers to help them survive in urban environments.