Social media use doubles number of girls unhappy with their appearance by the age of 14 , study finds

The number of girls unhappy with their appearance doubles by the age of 14 due to “heavy social media use”, researchers have found.

Research from the Education Policy Institute (EPI) and the Prince's Trust found that wellbeing and self-esteem are similar in boys and girls at the end of primary school. However, while both decline, girls see a far greater decrease by the age of 14.

It also found that, while around one in seven girls (15 per cent) report being unhappy with the way they look at the end of primary school, this almost doubles and rises to nearly one in three (29 per cent) by age 14.

In contrast, the equivalent figure for boys is 11 per cent - around one in nine, who feel unhappy about their personal appearance.

This percentage is the same for boys at both age 11 and age 14, whereas for girls it very suddenly deteriorates at 14.

Girls also experience more depressive symptoms such as hopelessness, according to the report. Furthermore girls’ wellbeing continues to fall even lower towards the end of their teenage years, while their depressive symptoms increase significantly.

The research used data from approximately 5,000 young people, born around the year 2000, who were asked questions about their mental health, wellbeing and self-esteem at the ages of 11, 14 and 17.

Responding to the findings in the report, entitled Young Peoples’ Mental and Emotional Health, Jonathan Townsend, UK chief executive of the Prince's Trust, called for quick action to "prevent scarring this generation's future".

He said: "The transition from childhood to adolescence can be turbulent, and the findings of this report underline why addressing and supporting young people's mental health will only become more crucial as the impact of the pandemic unfolds.

"Young people are among the hardest hit by the pandemic, so it is more important than ever that they can access support with their mental health during this critical time in their lives.

"In particular, the decline in young people's wellbeing and self-esteem as they go into their mid to late teens shows the need for early intervention and ongoing support to prevent future harm and potential mental health crises."

The report cites “heavy social media use” as a reason for negatively impacting young peoples’ wellbeing and self-esteem, regardless of their existing state of mental health.

It also adds that the pandemic has led to a deterioration in mental health, with the number of young people with a probable mental illness rising to one in six, up from one in nine.

Frequent physical exercise plays a particularly positive role in young people’s wellbeing – yet participation in activities and sports is expected to have fallen considerably due to school closures and lockdowns.

The report also found that, on average, the wellbeing of all young people drops as they move into secondary school and continues to fall through adolescence, with girls seeing a far greater decline.

Self-esteem also falls on average as children move into adolescence; however, while it stabilises for girls as they move into their late teens, it continues to fall for boys.

Focus groups were carried out in November 2020, allowing researchers to include the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Generation Z.

As well as social media, mental health and wellbeing were linked to a number of factors in the research, including family income, frequency of exercise, and poor maternal health.

The report made several recommendations, including a £650 million post-pandemic package to schools for wellbeing funding, matching academic catch-up funding.

It also called for an increase in mental health teaching, the publication of a plan for rolling out four-week waiting times for specialist mental health care, and ensuring all young people can take part in physical activity.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the union backs calls for additional funding.

He added: "The impact of coronavirus has exacerbated a problem that was already of huge concern to school leaders before the pandemic struck, and there has to be a greater focus on children's mental health going forward."