A study by research agency The Pineapple Lounge published on February 2015, shows that 8 to 14 year old girls in the UK are starting to break age old stereotypes when it comes to their interests, role models, the color pink and affinity towards princesses. They also experience a drop in confidence and a rise in fear as they enter their teen years.
Girls are more interested in Video Games and Sports than Celebrities
59% of all girls are interested in video games well ahead of celebrities (41%) breaking the stereotype that gaming is largely a male oriented activity. Similarly, 40% pick Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill as their role model well ahead of pop star Miley Cyrus (7%).
There are age specific nuances when it came to liking/disliking princesses and anything pink. Girls starting their teen years are the least likely to prefer princesses and pink. 27% of 8 to 10 year olds say they dislike anything pink and princesses. The figure increases to 38% among 11 to 12 year olds and 39% among 13 to 14 year olds.
Girls suffer a drop in confidence as they enter their teen years
As girls move into their teen years, they start to lose confidence in themselves and learn to fear the world around them. 55% of 13 to 14 year olds say they are confident about the future down from 62% among 8 to 10 year olds. At the same time, 57% of 13 to 14 year olds think the world is a scary place compared to 41% of 8 to 10 year olds.
A similar trend is also observed in overall happiness with life and perception of gender equality. While 73% of 8 to 10 year olds feel equal compared to boys, only 63% of 13 to 14 year olds agreed to feeling the same way. There was also a significant drop in overall happiness as 74% of 13 to 14 year olds agree they are happy about life compared to 85% of 8 to 10 year olds.
Older girls want a more meaningful experience from organizations
Predictably, having fun is the leading context when girls wanted to engage with brands. Overall 50% of the girls in the study say they want brands to help them have fun. However, having fun becomes less prevalent as girls get older. Only 44% of 13 and 14 year olds say they wanted to have fun over brand engagement compared to just over 50% of 8 to 10 year olds and 11 to 12 year olds.
Older girls are more attracted to experiences where they get to explore their identities and express themselves. 51% of 13 to 14 year olds want brand engagement that allows them to be themselves compared to 44% among all girls and 40% among 8 to 10 year olds.
As girls experience a fall in confidence levels with age, they also seek brand engagement that grows their personal confidence. 46% of 13 to 14 year olds and 42% of 11 to 12 year olds seek a confidence boosting engagement compared less than one-third of 8 to 10 year olds. Overall 39% of girls want brands to engage them in a way that grows their confidence.
Searching for a way to deal with growing fear of the outside world, young girls also seek platforms where new ideas and thinking patterns are welcome. 33% of 13 to 14 year olds want engagement that inspires them to think differently while 21% of 8 to 10 year olds seek the same.
Using Digital and Social to boost confidence among young girls
The best bet for organizations seeking to engage young girls in a positive and meaningful way is through digital devices and social media platforms.
The research also looks at digital devices young girls used on a weekly basis. Television is the most common one, used by around 80% of 8 to 14 year old girls. Tablets are the second most preferred device among 8 to 10 year olds at 56%. Older girls, however, seem to prefer smartphones ahead of tablets with 65% of 11 to 12 year olds and 75% of 13 to 14 year olds using smartphones each week.
Social media grows in importance as girls get older. 34% of 8 to 19 year olds say that keeping up with social media is important, compared to 53% of 11 to 12 year olds and 69% of 13 to 14 year olds. Among 13 to 14 year olds girls, YouTube is the most used website with 71% visiting it weekly, followed by Facebook (71%), Instagram (53%) and Snapchat (53%).
References
The study, Little Miss Understood, surveyed 1,070 girls aged 8-14 in the UK.
1. Why brands are losing relevance with girls, Marketing Week, February 18 2015
2. Lazy brands stereotype girls, Warc, February 20 2015
3. Young UK Females Just Want to Have Fun (with Brands), eMarketer, March 26 2015