General Article Children’s confidence destroyed by social media

Topic Selected: Body Image
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ChildLine says young people have been coming forward in their droves to confide just how desperate, alone and sad they feel.

By Paul Cardwell

 

The confidence of children living in Scotland is being destroyed by a constant onslaught from cyber-bullying and social media.

Marking its 30th anniversary, ChildLine said today’s young people are finding it difficult to cope with the pressures of modern life, creating a generation plagued by loneliness and low self-esteem.

The counselling service said in 2014–15 it held 35,244 counselling sessions across the UK for children with low self-esteem, an increase of 9% from the previous year.

One of the biggest influences it said was social media and the desire to copy celebrities as they strive to achieve the “perfect” image.

One 13-year-old girl told counsellors the pressure to keep up with her peers had led her to hate herself and she rarely left her bedroom.

She said: “When I look at other girls online posting photos of themselves it makes me...

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