Social web disturbs psyche of young girls
Over the past five years, emotional problems among young teenagers have risen significantly, reaching 55 percent. According to a study by University College London and the Anna Freud Center, the social web is primarily to blame.
The trigger for the drastic increase in psychological problems is the ever-increasing pressure on very young girls. Experts see the major conflict over the so-called "body image", which is particularly inflamed by social networks. In the study, the mental health of 1,683 girls and boys between the ages of 11 and 13 was monitored from 2009 to 2014. By the end of the recordings, 20 percent of the schoolgirls had already developed emotional problems, compared to only 13 percent at the beginning. "Five years is actually a very short observation period. So we were quite surprised that we were able to record such a significant change in emotional conflicts," explains study leader Elian Fink.
Culture hardly relevant
Above all, the increasingly early confrontation with their own sexuality is putting a noticeable strain on young girls. "Our records also showed no significant differences between children from different cultural backgrounds," adds scientist Helen Sharpe from UCL. The observations were not just about simple worries that every adolescent faces in everyday life, but serious characteristic changes that emerge over a long period of time. "Our results are an indication that there really are significant problem areas," concludes co-author Miranda Wolpert. (pte)
