10 Facts About Teens and Self Esteem

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Low self-esteem is a thinking disorder in which an individual views him/herself as inadequate, unlovable, and/or incompetent. Once formed, this negative view permeates every thought, producing faulty assumptions and ongoing self-defeating behavior.

1. Among high school students, 44% of girls and 15% of guys are attempting to lose weight.

2. Over 70% of girls age 15 to 17 avoid normal daily activities, such as attending school, when they feel bad about their looks. Brighten someone’s day by posting encouraging messages on your school’s bathroom mirrors.

3. More than 40% of boys in middle school and high school regularly exercise with the goal of increasing muscle mass.

4. 75% of girls with low self-esteem reported engaging in negative activities like cutting, bullying, smoking, drinking, or disordered eating. This compares to 25% of girls with high self-esteem.

5. About 20% of teens will experience depression before they reach adulthood.

6. Teen girls that have a negative view of themselves are 4 times more likely to take part in activities with boys that they've ended up regretting later.

7. The top wish among all teen girls is for their parents to communicate better with them. This includes frequent and more open conversations.

8. 38% of boys in middle school and high school reported using protein supplements and nearly 6% admitted to experimenting with steroids.

9. 7 in 10 girls believe that they are not good enough or don’t measure up in some way, including their looks, performance in school and relationships with friends and family members.

10. A girl’s self-esteem is more strongly related to how she views her own body shape and body weight, than how much she actually weighs.