Teenage Girls, Mental Health, and the UK’s Under-16 Social Media Restrictions
By Brooke Hulziser
As a parent, it can be difficult to know what’s normal.
In the complicated landscape of 2026, it can be difficult to know whether your teenager is simply going through the normal ups and downs of adolescence or whether they’re struggling with something deeper. You may have noticed your daughter becoming more withdrawn, anxious, self-critical, or spending increasing amounts of time on her phone. If so, you’re not alone.
Across Scotland, adolescent girls are experiencing more anxiety, low mood, poor self-esteem, and emotional distress than ever before. While there is rarely one single cause, research suggests that social media, body image concerns, disrupted sleep, and increasing academic pressures are all contributing to a decline in teenage girls’ mental health across Scotland.
What does the research tell us?
The Scottish Government has identified adolescent girls as the group whose mental well-being has declined most significantly in recent years. Compared with boys of the same age, girls consistently report higher levels of anxiety, lower life satisfaction, and poorer overall mental health. They are also more likely to experience body dissatisfaction and spend longer using social media (Scottish Government, 2018).
Meanwhile, the UK Government’s recent decision to restrict access to social media for under-16s has brought the potential harms associated with these platforms into sharp focus for many parents.
The impact of social media
One of the biggest challenges facing teenage girls today is body-image pressures that are delivered explicitly and implicitly by social media.
While apps like TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram can help young people stay connected with friends and communities, it also exposes them to a constant stream of carefully edited images and unrealistic beauty standards.
Many teenagers find themselves comparing their appearance, achievements, or social lives to what they see online.
Current research suggests that this constant social comparison—along with cyberbullying, disrupted sleep, and excessive screen time—can all contribute to poorer mental health, particularly for adolescent girls (Orben et al., 2024).
Research also shows that girls are much less likely than boys to feel good about their appearance. These negative beliefs about their bodies are closely linked with anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and an increased risk of disordered eating (Scottish Government, 2018).
The UK’s new social media restrictions
The UK Government’s recent decision to restrict access to certain social media platforms for children under the age of sixteen reflects growing concern about the impact these platforms have on young people’s well-being.
Research has found that approximately 67% of young people support the introduction of these restrictions, suggesting that many adolescents themselves recognise the potential harms associated with social media use (UK Government Department for Science and Technology, 2026).
Although the legislation is not expected to take effect until 2027, parents have an opportunity now to consider whether their teenager should continue being on social media and, if they do allow its use, how to help them engage with it safely and responsibly.
Beyond social media
Beyond the broader effects on mental health, social media can expose young people to other very significant online risks.
Through direct messaging, livestreaming, and online forums, harmful individuals can gain access to children and adolescents concerningly easily.
These interactions can involve cyberbullying, the exchange of sexually explicit material, blackmail, grooming, and the encouragement of eating disorder behaviours, self-harm, or suicide.
Alarmingly, those who exploit young people online often encourage secrecy or threaten consequences if they confide in a trusted adult, leaving many parents completely unaware of the distress their child may be experiencing.
Signs your daughter may be struggling
As a parent, you might notice changes such as your daughter:
- becoming increasingly self-conscious
- avoiding social situations
- spending more time alone
- becoming preoccupied with her appearance
- seeming constantly worried about what others think of her
- lashing out when asked if she’s doing okay
While some changes are a normal part of adolescence, persistent anxiety, sadness, low confidence, or withdrawal shouldn’t be ignored.
The good news
The good news is that early support can make a real difference.
Adolescence is a crucial period for emotional development, and learning healthy ways to manage difficult thoughts and feelings now can have lasting benefits into adulthood.
What Can You Do?
Below are some practical ways you can support your daughter in the midst of this shifting landscape.
Create opportunities to talk
Make time for regular, judgement-free conversations. Try to listen more than you speak, and resist the urge to immediately solve the problem. Feeling heard can be incredibly powerful. You can reflect back your daughter’s feelings while affirming her feelings with phrases like, “That sounds really hard,” or “I can see how anxious that makes you feel.”
Level with your teen about social media
If your teen is already on social media, have an honest conversation about what you’ve learned about the harmful impact social media can have.
Help your daughter understand that what she sees online is often edited, filtered, or carefully curated, and ask if she ever interacts with strangers online.
Encourage her to think critically about the content she consumes and how it makes her feel, and encourage her to put it down if she notices she is ‘doomscrolling’ or starting to feel the negative impacts.
Always encourage your teen to tell you immediately if they ever see a post or receive a message that feels inappropriate, unsafe, or confusing.
Set healthy boundaries around screen time and social media
Encourage regular breaks from phones, particularly in the evening.
Block out screen-free family time to help improve both sleep and mental well-being.
Use parental controls on their phone to lock social media apps after a certain amount of time if your teen is on social media, and consider waiting to allow your teen to have an account until they are at least 16 years old.
Make sure any accounts they do have are private, and regularly check their DMs and hidden message requests. It is also important to monitor your teen’s grid posts and stories to ensure they are not posting anything that could put them in harm’s way.
Encourage a positive relationship with her body
Focus conversations on what her body can do rather than how it looks.
Avoid commenting on weight or appearance—your own or hers—and instead celebrate strength, health, and individuality.
Model healthy habits
Teenagers notice how adults talk about themselves.
Speaking kindly about your own body, setting boundaries with technology, and prioritising your own wellbeing all help model positive behaviours.
Support healthy sleep habits
Teenagers need plenty of sleep, but late-night scrolling can interfere with both sleep quality and mood.
A consistent bedtime routine and stopping access to screens before bed can make a significant difference.
Encourage activities beyond social media
Spending time with friends in person, exercising, being creative, volunteering, or pursuing hobbies can all boost confidence and provide a sense of achievement outside the online world.
Watch for changes in behaviour
Persistent withdrawal, increased irritability, changes in eating or sleeping habits, loss of interest in activities, or heightened anxiety may all be signs that your daughter is struggling and could benefit from additional support.
Avoid minimising her feelings
Even if a problem seems small from an adult perspective, it may feel overwhelming to a teenager.
Validating her emotions doesn’t mean agreeing with every thought—it means helping her feel understood.
Seek professional support when needed
If your daughter’s anxiety, low mood, body image concerns, or emotional distress are affecting her daily life, therapy can provide a safe, supportive environment where she can develop healthy coping strategies and build confidence.
How Therapy Can Help
Therapy offers teenagers a safe, confidential space to talk openly about what’s going on in their lives without fear of being judged.
Many young people find it easier to speak with someone outside of their family, allowing them to explore difficult emotions, build confidence, and develop healthier ways of coping with stress, anxiety, and self-esteem challenges.
At our practice, we work with young people aged 14 and over using evidence-based approaches tailored to each individual’s needs.
Whether your daughter is struggling with anxiety, body image, low mood, friendship difficulties, or the pressures of social media, therapy can help her better understand herself, build emotional resilience, and regain confidence.
If you’re worried that your daughter isn’t herself, trust your instincts.
Seeking support doesn’t mean something is “wrong” with your child—it means you’re giving her the opportunity to develop the tools she needs to thrive.
If you’d like to learn more about our adolescent therapy services or arrange an initial consultation, we’d be happy to help.
References
Scottish Government. (2018). Exploring the Reported Worsening of Mental Wellbeing Among Adolescent Girls in Scotland.
Scottish Government. (2023). Mental Health Equality Evidence Report.
NSPCC. https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/inappropriate-explicit-content/promotion-self-harm/
Orben, A., Meier, A., Dalgleish, T., & Blakemore, S.-J. (2024). Mechanisms Linking Social Media Use to Adolescent Mental Health Vulnerability. Nature Reviews Psychology.
UK Government Department for Science, Innovation & Technology. (2026). Fact sheet: New rules to protect children online. Gov.uk.