Girls<\/a>, perhaps, are the most misunderstood of all. That\u2019s why the Girl Scouts released a major report<\/a> based on a survey of 3,000 girls ages 5 to 13 from a wide range of racial backgrounds, income levels, and geographic regions. The findings paint a picture of what it\u2019s really like to be a girl today\u2014and what we\u2019re all getting wrong about today\u2019s girls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are three big myths about modern American girlhood that the landmark report shatters:<\/p>\n\n\n\n We tend to think of girls as more social and better at forming deep relationships. But surprisingly, 70% of the girls surveyed reported feeling lonely, including 64% of girls ages 7 and younger. That\u2019s a striking statistic, considering children this age attend school and are surrounded by peers almost every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alana Officer of the World Health Organization told Education Week<\/a><\/em> that there\u2019s a difference between social isolation and loneliness. Adults who have limited contact with peers or only a small number of friends may experience social isolation. But loneliness is more of a \u201cpainful experience that arises from this disconnect or this discrepancy between the social connections that you do have and those that you want or you feel like you really need.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Officer says there may be an \u201cunmet expectation\u201d when it comes to the relationships girls do have. It\u2019s a problem that\u2019s likely been made worse by devices and social media, as well as the loss of community spaces, after-school programs, and other third places\u2014places where girls could spend time with friends face-to-face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But there\u2019s a bright side: Friends still matter. Gen Alpha might be labeled as \u201ciPad kids,\u201d but girls know exactly how important friendship is. More than half of those surveyed said they found the courage to try something new or difficult because a friend was by their side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Screen time and social media use are among the biggest parenting concerns today. And the amount of time girls spend on these activities is on the rise<\/a>. Most experts see that trend as problematic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the survey shows we\u2019ve got the symptom all wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Girls would rather be doing lots of things besides messaging, scrolling through social media, and playing mindless games on an iPad. The survey finds:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe story that girls are choosing screens over everything else misses the point. They are choosing what is available, not always what they prefer. When girls are asked directly, they say something the dominant narrative tends to drown out: 65% of girls ages 5\u201313 would rather be creative than engage with screens, 59% would rather go outside and play, and 59% would rather spend time with family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The findings indicate that a harsh, punitive approach to getting girls off screens is likely to miss the mark. Instead, they need more opportunities to do what they\u2019re interested in\u2014structured peer activities like Girl Scouts or sports, unstructured time outdoors, and adults modeling family time that doesn\u2019t involve devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Girls have a complicated relationship with their appearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n1. The \u2018male loneliness epidemic\u2019 is getting all the headlines. Girls are lonely, too.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2. Girls don\u2019t prefer to spend their time on screens and devices<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"girls,](\"https:\/\/www.upworthy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/teenphone.jpg?w=1024\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n3. Girls aren\u2019t preoccupied with their appearance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n