I’ve heard some of my friend’s parents say that I had a good influence on my friend’s lives but I always feel like a bad influence or like I have no influence at all 
I’m not really sure why I’d be a good influence in general
What makes someone a good or a bad influence?
Are there any personality traits that make someone a good or bad influence?
i think this depends. my definition of a bad influence is someone who purposefully tries to alter my mindset in a bad way and makes a negative impact on my mental health. It’s not always about choices. for example, i had a friend who was super scared of stepping out of her comfort zone. she had toxic parents who gaslight her and silence her a lot which made her a very reserved person. i stepped in and i changed that. she did begin making more choices behind her parents back like sneaking out to have fun or even travelling 30 min away from the school without permission to do something reckless, but i made her happy. i helped her become the person she wanted to become, and i made her more confident by showing her that it’s okay to step over boundaries to make memories.
although the choices were forbidden, it didn’t mean i was a bad influence. I helped her become more confident even if that meant to break the rules
sometimes people think breaking rules is being bad, but it’s not. being a bad influence is being someone who tears down someone else, or turn them into someone they don’t want to become. if you help someone become a better person even if you don’t realize it, then you’re a good influence
but this totally depends on the situation and intent (in my example)
but sometimes people don’t mean to tear you down or bring you down. for example, someone could be going through something or maybe they’re not trying to hurt you on purpose but it causes a burden on you in a negative way. you can feel drained being around them, and sometimes you don’t feel happy anymore because they’re taking a bad toll on your mood. you can cut them off because you don’t owe them anything, but that doesn’t mean they’re a bad influence (because they’re not trying to purposefully change you). it just means the friendship is getting toxic and you need to let it go for your mental health
This paragraph hits differently. I fully agree with you. This is why I try to stay away from certain people.
I think bad influences are people who want to change you in a bad way, which isn’t necessarily easy to judge from the outside as there are plenty of things that could either be good or bad depending on context
You’re only a bad influence if your influence makes others make bad choices for their future which will affect more than just a few hours of their life, so have long lasting negative effects 
A genuine bad influence is someone who can recognise it when you need validation or whatever and they withold it to manipulate you into doing things to their approval to the extent you start to change.
It can also be someone who enables your destructive and bad tendencies.
No Karen, it isn’t someone who helps your child think for themselves. It’s someone who helps take your child down a very rocky road.
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