Safety

The safety of girls and youth is always a concern, whether in everyday life or cyberspace. That safety extends to girls and youths' physical and emotional safety. Adults and youth in all fields—youth development, education, sports, out-of-school time—can play an integral part in empowering girls and youth to be safe and in ensuring their safety.

Statistics

• For girls aged 8 to 17, 72% defined safety as not being physically hurt and 46% defined it as not having their feelings hurt. But when asked what actually worried them the most, the number one concern, noted by 32%, was being teased or being made fun of. (The Girl Scout Research Institute, Feeling Safe: What Girls Say (2003))

• Bullying or harassment is a particularly prominent problem at the junior high or middle high school level. Three-quarters of junior high or middle high school principals say that bullying or harassment is a serious problem at their school, compared to 43% of elementary school principals and 45% of senior high school principals. (Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network and the National Association of Secondary School Principals, The Principal's Perspective: School Safety, Bullying, and Harassment, 2008)

• Teens aged 13 to 17 were less likely than preteens aged 8 to 12 to feel physically (62% vs. 72%) and emotionally (57% vs. 64%) safe. (The Girl Scout Research Institute, Feeling Safe: What Girls Say (2003))

• Almost one quarter of teenage girls (23%) have fewer than three adults they could go to if they were in trouble or needed help, compared with only 11% of preteen girls who feel this way. (The Girl Scout Research Institute, Feeling Safe: What Girls Say (2003))

• Seventy-one percent of girls aged 13 to 18 believed that it is wrong to meet people off-line that they have initially met through online communications. (The Girl Scout Research Institute, The Net Effect: Girls and New Media (2002))

• After experiencing cyberbullying, over half of teen victims aged 13 to 17 claim to have been angry (56%), one-third feeling hurt (33%) and embarrassed (32%), and over one in ten feeling scared (13%). Females are more likely than males to report all these emotions; especially females aged 13 to 15. (Harris Interactive, Trends and Tudes: Cyberbullying, April 2006)

• An alarming percentage of girls aged 13 to 17 report posting personal information online: their real age (72%), a fake age (23%), photos or videos of themselves (70%), photos or videos of friends (61%), city they live in (55%), name of school (48%), and cellphone number (7%). (Cox Communications, Teen Internet Safety Survey Wave II, March 2007)

• In 2002, 75% of girls aged 13 to 18 reported being given Internet rules by their parents, however, 43% also reported breaking those rules at least once. (The Girl Scout Research Institute, The Net Effect: Girls and New Media (2002))

• An increasing percentage of girls aged 13 to 17 say their parents talk to them about the dangers of sharing personal information online: 78% in 2007 versus 72% in 2006. (Cox Communications, Teen Internet Safety Survey Wave II, March 2007)

• In 2005, the prevalence of having ridden with a driver who had been drinking alcohol was higher among female high school students (29.6%) than male high school students (27.2%). (Centers for Disease Control, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance—2005)

• In 2005, the prevalence of having driven when they had been drinking alcohol was higher among white female (10.1%) than black female (3.5%) and Hispanic female (6.4%) high school students. (Centers for Disease Control, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance—2005)

• The number one concern, noted by 32% of girls ages 8-17, was being teased or being made fun of. (GSRI, Feeling Safe: What Girls Say (2003)

• Three-thirds (74.2%) of LGBT students reported feeling unsafe in school because of their sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, race or ethnicity, a real or perceived disability, or their actual or presumed religion. (Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, The 2005 National School Climate, 2005)

• Elementary and secondary school principals reported that while nearly all (96%) of their schools have anti-bullying policies, less than half specifically mention sexual orientation (46%) or gender identity or expression (39%). (Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network and the National Association of Secondary School Principals, The Principal's Perspective: School Safety, Bullying, and Harassment, 2008)

• Students from schools with an inclusive policy are more likely to feel very safe at school (54% vs. 36%) and one-third as likely to skip a class because they felt uncomfortable or unsafe (5% vs. 16%) (Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, From Teasing to Torment: School Climate in America, 2005)

• Seven in ten (69%) elementary and secondary school principals believed that professional development for school personnel would be most helpful in reducing bullying or harassment of LGBT students in their school. (Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network and the National Association of Secondary School Principals, The Principal's Perspective: School Safety, Bullying, and Harassment, 2008)