Online porn and social media fuel huge rise in girls wanting to be boys
SOCIAL media and online pornography may have led to an increase in the number of girls wanting to live as boys, the Cass Review has warned.
Dr Hilary Cass, the consultant paediatrician who led the report, highlighted a growing trend among Generation Z females identifying as transgender.
When the NHS gender identity development service (Gids) opened in 1989, it treated fewer than ten people each year, and most were males with a long history of gender distress.
But by 2009, it was treating 15 adolescent girls, and the number had surged to 1,071 by 201 .
In her report, Dr Cass painted an alarming picture of an anxious and distressed generation, born between 1995 and 2009, who have been scarred by today’s digital lifestyles.
She said that females are now more exposed to online pornography than in any previous generation.
Crucially, they also consume more social media and have lower self-esteem and more body hang-ups than their male peers.
Surveys show that the number of Gen Z adults who believe there are more than two genders rocketed from 39 per cent in late 2019 to 51 per cent around a year later.
Meanwhile, the number of ‘ Baby Boomers’ – born between 194 and 19 4 – who shared this view in 2021 was just 33 per cent, and for Millennials – who were born between 1981 and 199 – it was 35 per cent.
The sudden rise in girls seeking help for transgender issues cannot be solely accounted for by greater acceptance of trans identities, the review concludes. This is because it ‘does not adequately explain’ the switch in patient profiles from predominantly male to female.
Further investigation into the ‘consumption of online pornography and gender dysphoria is needed’, Dr Cass warned, pointing to the increasingly early exposure of young people to ‘frequently violent’ online material, which can have a harmful impact on self-esteem and body image.
Her report says: ‘Generation Z is the generation in which the numbers seeking support from the NHS around their gender identity have increased, so it is important to have some understanding of their experiences and influences.
‘In terms of broader context, Generation Z and Generation Alpha [those born since 2010] have grown up through a global recession, concerns about climate change, and most recently the Covid-19 pandemic.
‘Global connectivity has meant that as well as the advantages of international peer networks, they are more exposed to worries about global threats.’ The Cass Review found that there was a ‘dramatic increase’ in presentations to NHS gender clinics from 2014.
It points out that this surge coincided with puberty blockers being made available off-label and to a wider group of young people.
The report also highlights that children learn about others who have the same issues from online sources, such as YouTube videos and Reddit forums.
Dr Cass said the ‘striking increase’ in young people presenting with gender identity issues needs to be considered ‘within the context of poor mental health and emotional distress among the broader adolescent population’.
She called for more research into the ‘complex interplay’ between these issues and a teenager’s sudden desire to change gender.