FOMO is keeping girls online, despite feeling unsafe
Body shaming, sexism and harassment are rife
Lifestyle
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In this article:
New insights from Girlguiding UK reveal pressure to stay online is increasing for young girls, as safety concerns rise
Why young girls and women are experiencing FOMO when offline
Why schools need new health, sex and relationships resources to encourage a sense of safety on and offline.
According to the latest data, girls aged between 11 and 21 are feeling less safe than ever online, yet are refusing to step away from popular apps. Here’s why.
A recent survey by Girlguiding of 2,000 girls and young women has revealed disturbing findings regarding how and why young girls are using the internet.
According to the statistics, FOMO – or the Fear of Missing Out – is regularly keeping young girls aged 11 to 21 on apps such as TikTok, Snapchat and WhatsApp despite safety concerns and experienced sexism online.
The number of unsolicited sexual images and instances of cyberstalking have increased for this particular age group in recent years, with the survey revealing one in three girls and young women have been sent unwanted sexual images and one in five have been cyberstalked and harassed.
According to Angela Salt, the chief executive of Girlguiding, the survey’s findings are a devastating reflection of how young girls are feeling about their futures.
“Sexism continues to be pervasive, leaving many girls feeling vulnerable and unsafe,” she tells The Guardian. “We’re glad to see the government is taking rising levels of misogyny seriously. Now it’s been acknowledged as a problem, we are determined to make sure the voices of girls are heard as part of the solution.”
Girlguiding, the organisation behind the survey, is using this data to champion the need for new health, sex and relationships resources in schools to encourage healthier dynamics and establish a sense of safety on and offline.
The reality of being online for young girls
Perhaps the most surprising finding, the survey reveals only 37 per cent of girls and young women impacted by this online FOMO feel they have strong connections online, a number now lower than in the past four years.
With more young women experiencing negative interactions online, and less establishing strong connections, their reluctance to take a break from apps and platforms is even more perplexing.
“In my daily life, I see how the constant pressure to meet unrealistic beauty standards and the normalisation of sexism leaves girls feeling vulnerable and unsupported,” seventeen-year-old Jiya, a Girlguiding advocate, shares.
“Being online all the time amplifies this. While we’re ‘more connected’, we’re also more exposed to judgment and comparison – through body shaming, sexist jokes, online harassment and objectification. This fuels loneliness and erodes our confidence, which only makes it harder to feel positive about the future.”
Of the young girls and women surveyed by Girlguiding, 85 per cent said had experienced sexism in daily life, and 75 per cent revealed they had experienced sexist comments online.
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