Teen girls least satisfied with their lives, especially online: Children's Ombudsman

Girls aged 13 to 18 are relatively unhappy. They give their online life a 6.7 at most, but almost a quarter give it a failing grade. This is partly because they do not feel safe on social media. They sometimes have bad experiences and get exposed to things that are bad for their self-image. Boys of the same age rank their online life a 7.7 out of 10.

Teenage girls are also considerably less positive about life in the physical world, compared to their male peers. On average, girls give life a 7.1. One in five gives it a failing grade. Boys rate their lives a 7.9, on average.

There is also a clear difference between younger boys and girls, aged 8 to 12. Girls in that age group give life offline a 8.1 and online a 7.4. For boys, these are 8.4 and 8.0, respectively.

The Children’s Ombudsman asked approximately 2,700 children about their lives. In the past, the organization only investigated how children felt in the real world, but this time, it included the online world for the first time. According to the organization, the online world is increasingly influencing children and young people’s development and well-being.

The Children’s Ombudsman concluded that parents are too focused on monitoring what their children do online and protecting them from dangers, and spend too little time looking at the positive side. The same applies to government policy. “Discussions about the online interests of children and young people or about what they experience on the World Wide Web are hardly ever held,” said Children’s Ombudsman Martgrite Kalverboer.

The report also noted that parents don’t always set a good example. For example, they sometimes spend too much time on their phones, and “this sometimes feels wrong.”