Teenage girls are ‘less happy, rested and active than boys’ and use social media for longer each day, studies show

• Overall a third of teenagers (34 per cent) reported being active for at least one hour each day
• And for girls this fell to just 27 per cent with them using social media for 4.8 hours on average per day
• Overall girls scored ‘significantly’ lower on wellbeing fronts including stress and life satisfaction

Teenage girls sleep and exercise less than boys and are three times more likely to have poor mental health, studies show.

They also use social media for longer each day and report lower ‘wellbeing’. The BeeWell project quizzed almost 40,000 children in year eight (ages 12-13) and year ten (14-15) in 165 schools across Greater Manchester. 

It is believed to be the most ambitious attempt to measure young people’s wellbeing in one region.

Some 45 per cent of girls do not get enough sleep ‘to feel awake and concentrate on their schoolwork during the day’, compared to 33 per cent of boys. 

 Teenage girls sleep and exercise less than boys and are three times more likely to have poor mental health, studies show (stock image)

Overall, a third of teenagers (34 per cent) reported being active for at least an hour each day. For girls, this fell to just 27 per cent.

Girls used social media for 4.8 hours on average per day – compared to almost four hours for boys – and were three times as likely, at 22 per cent, to report ‘a high level of difficulties’ with ‘negative emotions such as sadness and worry’, versus 7 per cent of boys. 

Overall, girls scored ‘significantly lower’ on four wellbeing fronts – the ‘negative effect’, psychological wellbeing, life satisfaction and stress.

The BeeWell report said these ‘inequalities’ should ‘warrant significant concern’.

Some 45 per cent of girls do not get enough sleep ‘to feel awake and concentrate on their schoolwork during the day’, compared to 33 per cent of boys (stock image)

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