The quest to create the image of a “perfect” life on social media is affecting the wellbeing of one in three girls, according to a survey.
A poll of more than 1,000 young people by the UK charity Girlguiding found that 35% of girls aged 11-21 said their biggest worry online was comparing themselves and their lives with others.
Parents failed to recognise this as a problem, the survey suggested. Only 12% of girls said their parents were concerned about the pressure of making such comparisons online.
Other top concerns for girls included grooming, how photographs they took could be altered or used out of context online, and threats from strangers. A third also worried about how they looked in photos.
Ruth Marvel, deputy chief executive of Girlguiding, said girls had spoken of the “increasing pressure to live the ‘perfect’ life online and the negative impact this is having on their wellbeing”, adding: “We need to listen and take girls’ voices seriously to protect their happiness, wellbeing and opportunities in life, both online and offline.”
The Labour MP Jess Phillips said the results were “worrying” and that “perfection is nothing more than a marketing tool”.
“Improving how girls and women feel about themselves isn’t just important to stop hurt feelings, as some may claim,” she added. “It matters because women trying to reach some unattainable goal of how our faces, bodies, homes and lifestyles should be seeps into real life and sees women feeling inferior in the workplace and in their personal relationships.”
Fellow Labour MP Karen Buck said: “There is much that is positive about modern communications technology and social media, and it’s not likely that this tide is going to be turned back any time soon.
“However, there is also evidence, which this report adds to, that social media can fuel anxiety and depression, as people are drawn to constant comparisons with often idealised versions of the lives, and bodies, of others.
“Though boys are certainly not immune, the pressure on girls to look a certain way is particularly intense,” Buck added. “We should be building a culture of resilience in young people, encouraging open discussion and helping young people challenge the distorting effects of social media.”
Of the 11- to 21-year-olds polled, 36% said their biggest worry online was grooming, defined as when someone lies about their age or who they are to get closer to a child. They also expressed concern about threats from strangers.
The Girls’ Attitudes Survey found that fewer than half (47%) of those questioned felt their parents understood the pressures they faced online. The majority said they believed their parents were most worried about the threat of online grooming (59%).
Rhiannon Lambert, a Harley Street nutritionist, said that in the past year twice the usual number of children and young teenagers had come to her saying they felt inadequate after comparing themselves to others online.
“They are … thinking they are not healthy enough, or asking why they are not getting strong enough or not putting on weight,” Lambert said. “They look on Instagram and follow fitness accounts and want to look like the people who post pictures.
“It’s becoming the norm to aspire to be a figure on social media now – people [are] growing up to want to be influencers and that is now a job role ... I am not sure if parents are fully aware of the pressure people face and it must be difficult to understand waking up every day and scrolling through a feed of images.”
Dr Louise Theodosiou, from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: “The ready availability of internet-connected devices means that for most children and young people, communicating online is a standard part of life. That’s why it’s so important to address both the positive and the negative effects of the internet.
“For many young people, the internet can be a safe way to develop friendships, express opinions and gain valuable information – for example, about their emotional wellbeing. But we must also find ways to teach children how to keep themselves safe online, acknowledging the dangers of grooming and the use of pictures. The publication of this data will hopefully pave the way towards parents and daughters starting a valuable dialogue about their online lives.”
Tom Madders, director of campaigns and communications at the charity YoungMinds, said: “Young people now face the pressure of creating a personal brand from a young age, and seeking reassurance in the form of likes and shares.
“With feeds full of idyllic holiday photos or groups of friends, it can be hard not to compare yourself to others or feel like you should be living the ‘perfect life’. While it’s important to recognise and teach young people against dangers online, it’s also really important to acknowledge that social media can have an impact on young people’s wellbeing or exacerbate feelings of being left out.
“What young people see on social media doesn’t reflect real life, and we need to do more to help young people build resilience to the pressures of being online.”