New Research from Girl Scouts of the USA Finds Girls Turn to Screens Out of Boredom and Fear of Missing Out

Girl Scouts of the USA is sounding the alarm: more than half (56%) of girls, ages 5 to 13, are spending time online to fight boredom, with many (52%) feeling overlooked as parents remain glued to their own devices. New research released today highlights the need for families to reset digital habits and model healthier online behavior. There is pressure and a pull to be online because girls don’t want to miss out, but they’re also online because they’re bored.

• Nearly all girls (97%) are spending time online, with 43% of girls ages 8 to 13 browsing for 3 or more hours a day. Even at ages 5 to 7, more than half of girls (58%) are spending daily time online.
• 51% of girls ages 11–13 feel they must be online or they’ll miss out on things their friends are talking about. By comparison, only 21% of girls ages 5–7 and 31% of girls ages 8–10 feel that same pressure.
• Among Hispanic girls, this is even more pronounced: 56% of girls ages 11–13 and 40% of girls ages 8–10 feel they need to be online to avoid missing out.
• More than 2 in 5 girls (41%) aged 5 to 13 years old would rather skip vacation than go somewhere without wifi.

[December 9, 2025]