| Source: www.pexels.com |
By Sam Piha
This is one blog in a series of blogs regarding the issue of social media and youth mental health.
Teenage girls are already more likely to suffer from mental health issues than boys.
“Teen girls are more likely than teen boys to cite certain negative experiences on social media.” [i]
“With so many of their daily struggles now playing out on social media, young girls’ mental health and self-confidence have taken a major hit over the past six years, a new survey of thousands of girls suggests.” [ii]
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| Source: Ruling Our Experiences |
The 2023 Girls' Index from Ruling Our Experiences (ROX) found a staggering connection between social media use and lower confidence in teenage girls. And rates of extreme sadness and depression increased for girls in every grade alongside their social media usage.
“Like just about every other 13-year-old, Riley [in ‘Inside Out 2’] has a smartphone. We see her using it to take selfies, but the coach at the hockey camp takes all the phones away at the beginning of the weekend (Go, coach!). If Riley has this much anxiety without a phone, imagine what she would be like if she were constantly checking one. It is perfect that the only emotion associated with her own device is Ennui. Because, frankly, ennui was really not an emotion associated with teenagers until fairly recently.” [iii] - Naomi Schaefer Riley, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, reviews Disney’s ‘Inside Out 2’
“The harms from social media were more apparent in teen girls, of which 45 percent said they felt overwhelmed by the drama, and 28 percent said they felt worse about their own lives, compared to just 18 percent of boys.” [iv]
“Nearly every girl who responded to the survey said they use social media to some degree, including 95 percent of 5th graders, and 46 percent reported spending six or more hours per day on social media platforms. For 5th and 6th graders, the median amount of time they spent on social media has more than doubled since 2017.” [v]
According to ROX, “with technology and social media becoming an ever-present reality, it is important to understand how technology is related to other aspects of girls’ lives. We asked girls about the time that they spent using technology (computers, tablets, phones, video games, etc.) as well as the time they spent engaged specifically with social media.
ROX, in a survey of over 17,500 girls, grades 5-8, found that “girls who spend the most time using technology were also the most likely to:
- Say they are sad/depressed nearly every day
- Want to change their appearance
- Not participate in sports, band, theatre, arts or other extra-curricular or enrichment activities
We also learned that social media use is related to girls’ perceptions of their relationships with others. Specifically, girls who spend the most time on social media were also less likely to:
- Trust other girls
- Have supportive friends and adults to talk to about serious issues
- Enjoy coming to school
While there is much more to explore about these relationships, it is clear that increased use of technology and social media is related to some personal and relationship challenges for girls.” [vi]
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| Source: Ruling Our Experiences (ROX) |
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| Source: Ruling Our Experiences (ROX) |
According to ROX, “The Girls' Index found a staggering connection between social media use and lower confidence in teenage girls. And rates of extreme sadness and depression increased for girls in every grade alongside their social media usage.” [vii]
To read and download our briefing paper, Social Media and Youth Mental Health, click here.
END NOTES
[ii] Caitlynn Peets, The State of Girls’ Mental Health and Self-Confidence, in Charts
[iii] Naomi Schaefer Riley, Looking at Riley’s Outer World in ‘Inside Out 2’
[iv] Suzanne Blake, Teens Willing To Give Parents Control of Their Social Media
[v] Caitlynn Peets, The State of Girls’ Mental Health and Self-Confidence, in Charts
[vi] Ruling Our Experiences (ROX), The 2023 Girls’ Index
[vii] IBID.
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