Fear of missing out sees girls stay online despite negativity, Girlguiding survey finds

Most girls and young women have experienced some form of online harm but are reluctant to take a break from social media because of so-called “fomo” – fear of missing out – according to a major survey.

The latest Girls’ Attitudes Survey from Girlguiding found that more than three-quarters (77%) of girls aged between seven and 21 had experience of an online harm in the past year.

These ranged from mean comments and seeing rude pictures in the younger age group to bullying and harassment for those aged 11 and over.

Experiences of cyberstalking have become more common, rising 6% to 17% of girls aged 11-21, while seeing unwanted sexual images rose 9% to 35% of this age group.

Almost four in ten girls (38%) aged from as young as seven up to 21 said they had experiences of people pretending to be someone they are not online, an increase of 10%.

With the development and wider rollout of artificial intelligence (AI), girls also reported their worries around safety.

More than half (59%) of 11 to 21-year-olds said they feel concerned that AI may be used to create fake images of them and impersonate them online.

Despite the negative experiences, more than half (57%) of 11 to 21-year-olds said they feel reluctant to take a break from social media because of a fear of missing out, commonly known as “fomo”.

The fear rises as girls get older, going from 55% of 11 to 16-year-olds to 60% of 17 to 21-year-olds.

Even amid concerns about what they might miss if they do not check in on social media, only just over a third (37%) of girls aged 11-21 said they consider themselves to have strong connections online.

This is down 7% in four years, Girlguiding said.

The latest annual annual survey, supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, also found an increase in negative experiences offline.

More girls aged between 11 and 21 reported knowing someone their age who has or had anxiety – at 80% for the latest research, which is up from 72% three years ago.

Some 68% said they know someone who self-harms, up from 65% three years ago, and 62% know someone who has or had an eating disorder, which is up from 58% three years ago.

Six in ten (59%) of 13 to 21-year-olds have seen or experienced sexual harassment, and 85% of girls aged 11 to 21 said they experience sexism in their daily lives, whether from sexist comments offline (53%) or when they are online (73%).

Girlguiding said these findings appear to be having a knock-on effect on girls’ sense of safety, with the proportion of 11 to 21-year-olds feeling less safe because of sexism and misogyny more than doubling in a decade to 47% from 17%.

Chief executive Angela Salt said: “Sexism continues to be pervasive, leaving many girls feeling vulnerable and unsafe.

“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.”

– A total of 2,734 girls and young women aged between seven and 21 took part in the 2024 Girlguiding Girls’ Attitudes Survey.