Growing up is hard. Every teenager experiences puberty and the hardships that come with it. Everything from acne to a rise in standardized testing. A teenager’s mind changes with his or her academic environments, amount of peer pressure, and presence online. All of these factors contribute to the steadily increasing rates of depression in adolescents, especially teenage girls.

Not only do anxiety and depression increase with academic pressure, but social media can take a toll on a teenager’s mind as well. A study, recently published in the journal Pediatrics, concluded that teenage girls are usually more at risk for severe depression than boys are.

“In general, girls can be less secure; they struggle with body issues and when boys come into the picture, it can get complicated,” explained Dr. Debra Schiffman, a counselor who works at Olney Therapy.

Adding to the struggle for girls is bullying on social media. According to researchers from dosomething.org, girls are about twice as likely as boys to be a vic- tim of cyberbullying.

Girls’ are especially susceptible to bullying of a sexual nature when online. Anything from asking for nude photos to body shaming can have a detrimental effect on a teenage girl’s self-esteem. Before the Internet, a bully’s influence was limited. The addition of social media to modern society has expanded the eld of accessibility; now anyone, from anywhere can write an anonymous message that could effectively ruin someone’s life, and in some cases, even end it.

Dr. Sameer Hinduja, who is a director of the Cyberbullying Research Center and the co-author of “Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard: Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying ” and “Cyberbullying Prevention and Response: Expert Responses,” explained that the Internet can play both positive and negative roles in the lives of teenage girls. He noted that aspects of the Internet can be hazardous to the teenage mind, but that it also may be the only bright spot in girls’ lives at times. He believes that social media creates not only an outlet for expression, but also a chance for teenage girls to see that they are not alone, as others are going through the same thing.

Girls’ lives are impacted by social media in multiple ways.

Cyberbullying affects about one third of females, and social media can also cause feelings of jealousy and inadequacy. According to a study published in Science Advances, jealousy can manifest in many forms when correlated with social media. When a teenage girl compares herself to an actress or a model, she immediately experiences feelings of envy and mediocrity. The study blames social media for causing a spike in these unwarranted feelings. “Social media can cause low self-esteem in teenage girls that can be tied to suicidal thoughts and actions,” stated Dr. Hinduja.

Teens, especially girls, are constantly exposed to unjustified stereotypes from social media, American culture, and even political gures. Feelings of inadequacy, no matter how emotionally healthy the person, are often unavoidable. According to Schiffman, schools can and should provide greater education about depression, and support those who need help. Depressed teenagers often do not want support, or know where to turn. Schiffman urges both girls and boys to seek out the help that they need, and for schools to do a more thorough job of encouraging teenagers to do just that.