Use of Social Media Takes a Toll on Girls' Self-esteem

Going by a newly conducted survey, high use of online media makes teenagers, particularly girls, increasingly doubt their self-esteem, impacting their morale. The survey on 30,000 school students found that the self-esteem of teenage girls has fallen significantly since the start of the economic downturn seven years ago and the boom in the use of social media and online communication, the Guardian reported.

The study found that from a peak in 2007, when 41 percent of 14- and 15-year-old girls reported high self-esteem, that figure has fallen to 33 percent. There has also been a less significant drop in self-esteem among boys of the same age, from 55 percent in the highest bracket in 2007 to 50 percent in 2013.

David Regis, research manager at the unit, said that the correlation with the economic downturn could not be ignored and that more attention might need to be paid to the sensitivities of young people to their families’ plight during the recession and slow recovery.

The unit also suggested that teenagers were, more than ever, having their lives exposed through online communication and that schools should examine whether they were educating their pupils properly on the dangers.

The survey also found that A third of girls aged 10 or 11 fear bullying at least sometimes, while one in five girls of that age said their school did not deal with bullying very well.

Source-Medindia