61% of 10 to 17-year-old girls in the UK have low self-esteem according to new research

New research by Dove has found almost two-thirds of girls in the UK do not have high body esteem. And what’s worse, it’s making them miss out on key opportunities.

According to the 2017 Dove Global Girls Beauty and Confidence report, 9 in 10 girls in the UK will not spend time with family and friends, participate in activities outside the house, or try out for a team or club if they aren’t happy with the way they look.

The report gives evidence to the increasing beauty standards young girls seem to face in modern times, particularly with the proliferation of social media within young people’s lives.

And although many parents may see social media as a catalyst for negative feelings, and low self-esteem, the report found that many girls in the UK see social media as an outlet to confidently express their individuality.

‘Girls worldwide are harnessing the power of social media to democratise the beauty narrative whether we are a part of it or not,’ says Jes Weiner, Cultural Expert and Adjunct Professor at University of Southern California (USC) Annenberg School of Journalism.

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‘They are forming their own online communities to talk about the issues that matter most to their physical and emotional health, and flooding the space with their diverse stories and images.’

Dove interviewed over 5,000 girls aged 10-17 across 14 countries and found that higher levels of body esteem have a lasting impact on girl’s confidence, resilience and life satisfaction.

And while having low self-esteem isn’t a mental health problem in itself, the charity Mind does believe the two are closely linked.

According to the charity there are a number of ways we can improve our self-esteem which includes: