Teenagers

Teenagers

Experts and young people say that all adults have a responsibility to understand and help girls.
According to new evidence published today by Girlguiding UK and the Mental Health Foundation, pressures such as academic testing and lack of family time are changing the face of girlhood in Britain.The new findings emerged from a consultation among a panel of leading children’s experts and young people that considered the outcomes detailed in the recent research report, A Generation Under Stress?
The panel has called on adults to play a bigger role in supporting girls to deal with modern day pressures in order to protect their emotional well-being and enable them to lead healthy and happy lives.The findings show that girls feel under pressure to do well academically due to regular testing in schools. One girl said: “You can’t relax – there’s always another set of exams around the corner.” And adult expectations are adding to the anxiety felt by some girls about their performance at school, as one expert explained: “Some parents only value academic achievement.”The panel highlights that busy, modern lifestyles are cutting short the amount of quality time that girls are able to spend with their families – yet girls place great value on this time and see it as crucially important to their happiness. One girl said: “When we stay in and have a hot chocolate together watching ‘Charmed!’ that’s great. Or plaiting hair, just me and my Mum.”They also emphasise that girls are choosing to use the internet’s networking sites and discussion forums, shunning traditional media which they feel largely demonises them and ignores the positive things they do, leaving them feeling rejected and angry. The appearance of girls and young women in the media – seen as immoral and out of control – is damaging. One expert commented: “If the media is negative about girls, how can they thrive?”However, whilst there are some concerns that the internet is being substituted for real life, the report asserts that the internet can actually help girls growing up. “It enables girls to share their problems anonymously and offers a confidential, anonymous space for those seeking help”, said one speaker.--Girls need support to be healthy and happy--
The panel makes a number of recommendations about how girls can be supported to overcome the challenges of the 21st century:
* Girls should be taught how to be resilient – at home and at school – to help them deal with problems as they arise.
* Adults must accept their responsibilities as role models for young women – and should try to be inspiring.
* Older children should be encouraged to act as mentors for younger ones.
* Formal education should give a more rounded perspective on life; teaching young people how to deal with feelings and develop emotional resilience, and not just focus on academia. As one girl said: “PHSE is badly taught in my school. It doesn’t teach girls what they want to know. Girls need to be educated for the world in which they live.”Their recommendations reinforce those obtained through in-depth research with Girlguiding UK’s own members, which included: ensuring girls have things to do, creating safe places where girls can have freedom without their parents worrying and boost girls’ confidence by providing them with opportunities to succeed outside school.