Social media has long been at the centre for issues surrounding body image and self-esteem, with celebrities such as Lizzo and Timothy Chalamet condemning the pressures of apps like Instagram and TikTok.
This doesn't just impact celebrities though, with regular users bombarded with images of flawless looks and expensive lifestyles of influencers and even their own friends.
Unfortunately, this pressure doesn't start when you become an adult, as Internet Matters released its annual report that shows teens and children are suffering from this too - especially girls around the age of 10 who are experiencing it for the first time.
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Fear of missing out (FOMO) in young girls has doubled over the past year, with nearly a third of girls aged nine to 10 saying they get upset if they miss out on what's happening with their friends.
As a result, 45 percent of this age group confessed to staying up late on digital devices, compared to just a fifth last year.
Mum of three, Rebecca Fisher is concerned about her daughter's sleep pattern as her eight-year-old Elsa has been caught on her iPad after bedtime and "ends up feeling tired and grouchy" for school the next day.
Rebecca, from Norfolk, said: "All the kids Elsa's age at school are connected online, mostly through gaming platforms, so I feel like I have to allow her to join in or else she'd be the odd one out. Many of her peers get their parents to buy additional features and add-ons to their games, which then creates even more of a sense of being left out for the ones that don’t have them.
"It's really difficult because I don’t want her to fall behind socially, but I also don’t want it to take over her life. We've already spent about £50 on her games, and I don’t want it to become the norm."
Almost half of girls also re-watch programmes or play computer games, even though they don't enjoy them in order to stay involved with their friends. FOMO is the driving force behind this, with girls becoming more active on messaging and social media platforms at younger ages.
Internet Matters data shows that 56 per cent of girls in this age group said they were using social media, with significant numbers also using platforms only intended for children aged 13+ such as TikTok (41 per cent) and Snapchat (26 per cent).
Anna, from Northern Ireland, shared that her daughter Laura, nine, is so addicted to social media "she prefers to socialise with her friends online" rather than in person.
The mum explained: "Laura's made several friends on gaming platforms. She described one as being her best friend for the last four or five years. She chats to her for hours online and they’ve added each other on TikTok, but they've never met in real life.
"We have to be so careful to monitor who she's chatting with and to make sure she's staying safe."
Anna added: "It's really difficult to manage her screen time and it's definitely impacted her sleep in the past. But at the same time, I can tell she also worries about missing out when she sees girls in her class hanging out without her on social media.
"She keeps it to herself, but she’s been experiencing FOMO this year for the first time."
Fear of missing out isn't the only issue with exposing young girls to platforms like this as social media is also having a negative impact on their body image with one in 10 saying being online makes them concerned about their body shape or size.
However, it's not all bad as the index found boys confidence online had grown over the past year with those aged 15 the most likely to have a positive experience.
Rebecca added: "There are definitely more positives for my kids being online than negatives, and it is great that Elsa is able to stay in touch with her pals, especially over half-terms and summer holidays. I've learned that having conversations early on about how to manage screen time is the best solution."
Dr Linda Papadopoulos, child psychologist, and Internet Matters ambassador said: "This Index once again highlights how important it is for parents to support their children as they navigate the digital world. Tech is becoming a larger part of families' lives and there is no sign that this is going to change but parents, carers, and professionals supporting young people admit that they struggle to keep up.
"There needs to be additional support to facilitate open and honest conversations with children in order to improve their wellbeing online."
Carolyn Bunting, CEO at Internet Matters, said: "The online world is rapidly changing and now, more than ever, it is vital to understand the influence of technology on children’s wellbeing and to assess both the positives and negatives arising from the ways they use and interact with the online world.
"What parents do matters, and so the clear priority must be on ensuring they have the skills, knowledge and support needed. These findings will continue to provide valuable insight to help us provide the most up-to-date and effective advice for parents and carers to help them best manage and support their children towards positive outcomes from their online lives."
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