Teen girls undergo huge changes physically and mentally so they have a high risk of engaging in negative behaviors on themselves. So parents need to pay attention to their children, especially teenage girls to be able to recognize early signs of risky behaviors and prevent and protect their children in time. Below are some analysis of How the Internet creates 4 negative behaviors of teenage girls
How the Internet creates 4 negative behaviors of teenage girls
Obsess about her body image and have low self-esteem
With the majority of girls using social media these days, they not only compare their bodies with their peers but also to the models on Instagram who use photo editing tools all the time to make them as perfect as possible.
Besides, pornography on the Internet also contributes significantly to this negative behavior.
At the above stage, the teenage girls will undergo psychological and physiological changes, so they will become more curious about issues related to gender, leading to frequent peeking of porn movies or being manipulated by friends.
Actors in these movies often have slim and attractive bodies, which makes it impossible for your child to stop comparing themselves to others. Research shows that pornography negatively affects girls’ perception of body image.
Many teenagers in qualitative research claim that pornography actually negatively impacts the way they perceive their bodies. Girls worry about not having big breasts and big butt to be attractive in the eyes of their boyfriends.
In the same survey, parents – especially mothers – are more concerned about their child’s perception of their bodies than ever under the pressure of pornography. This has a significant impact on the child’s mental health if the daughter constantly feels worried about her small breasts or not thin enough.
What parents need to do?
Here are some of the 10 ways to help children feel positive body images that you can use:
- Help your child become aware of the physical changes during puberty. Explain what might happen and answer children’s questions.
- Be a role model for your child and show a positive attitude toward their body image, helping them understand that we should accept and appreciate people no matter how they look.
- Explain to your child that actors on social media or television have all been edited to make their looks more attractive and that it’s not a realistic or ideal look to pursue.
Sexting
Sexting is the sending, receiving or forwarding of pornography via text message or email. With the advent of the internet, electronic devices and social media have become tools to simplify and spread sexual material easier and more powerful than ever.
With just one click, a photo can be distributed to many others.
There are many reasons for sexting, but peer pressure is also a major factor. When teenage girls see their friends engaged in sexual conversations, they will feel that they are not “cool enough” by not sending nude pictures of themselves.
If your kid is a guy and his friends both have erotic pictures of girls on their phones, your kid may feel pressured to do the same. On the other hand, if your child is a girl and other girls are bragging about sending nudity to their boyfriend, your child may feel the need to do so; especially if you feel like “everyone else is doing it.”
What parents need to do?
Research shows that one of the main reasons for sexting behavior is early and frequent access to pornography.
In addition to having open conversations with your children about sensitive issues like sexting, you also need to proactively protect your children from porn by installing online content filtering tools to protect children better and more effectively from harmful content that adversely affects their cognition and development.
Find this helpful? You also love these:
Self-harm
Self-harm is any behavior your child does that causes harm, often a way to help deal with negative or painful thoughts and feelings. Often children will incision themselves or use high doses of stimulants but not enough to cause death.
When your children are influenced by the Internet and social media beauty standards, they may misinterpret that these standards are essential and important in society, thereby creating greater dissatisfaction with own body.
As a result, your child begins to become disgusted with his own body, unhealthy eating, over-dieting, eating disorders, feeling helpless, self-harm, avoiding places where they can be “snooped” like beaches, swimming pools. In addition, they can present symptoms of a mental health disorder such as anxiety or depression.
What parents need to do?
Spend a lot of time talking to your child every time they leave school, telling stories will help them release negative emotions more effectively. Putting aside distractions like computers and phones temporarily, focus all of your attention on listening to your child and letting them know that you are there for support.
If you suspect your child is harming himself, don’t react in shock or horror, nor force him to talk about what he or she has done on the body, acknowledge that it can be difficult for him to open up. self-harm and encourages children to talk about their negative feelings and what they are going through.
Online Bullying
Teen girls can be both a victim of online bullying and an online bully.
One of the most common forms of online bullying is Flaming – a type of public online bullying that adds harsh, more brutal images and language to add emotion to conveyed messages. or can make an individual feel bad by constantly leaving negative comments on social media posts to hurt their feelings.
Either way, online bullying has huge consequences on your daughter’s psychology.
What parents need to do?
A child who is bullied online is often ashamed and afraid of encountering more bullies if the bully knows they have spoken to an adult. Therefore, children may be afraid to tell their parents about the problems they are having.
When your kid doesn’t tell you anything, it doesn’t mean everything is okay. It is your parent’s responsibility to spot signs that your child is a victim of cyberbullying. It is the parent’s job to observe your child’s behaviors and see if some of their behaviors are listed in the signs of cyberbullying below. Time to act now.
Try and you might love this:
