Do YOU Think These Girls Are UGLY?

What started off as a post on Youtube has spawned into a disturbing worldwide trend calling out for attention...

Asearch for the phrase ' Am I pretty or ugly' on YouTube yields dozens of video results with young girls polling viewers for opinions on their looks. The girls, some as little as 9- years- old, are asking strangers to tell them if they're cute.

Their anonymous audience has taken cyber- bullying to a new high. Some of the comments are sweet and encouraging [' Don't let anyone tell you you're ugly'], some think these girls are just begging for attention [' Go study instead!'], but most are so nasty, racist and inappropriately sexual, that even the most confident among us would crumble.

One schoolgirl's video has more than 3.5 million views and close to a million comments. They range from ' You're SO pretty' to ' You're ugly as hell. You should end your life'. And yet, despite the barrage of offensive comments, similar videos are being added every day, by young women from around the world.

Experts say that while it may seem natural that we value others opinion about ourselves, some of us are

obsessed with what others think. And taking that obsession to the Internet means we're making ourselves extremely vulnerable, and open to psychological and emotional damage. New York- based child psychiatrist Francisco Gonzalez- Franco says this is a worrying trend. " These girls should seek help from friends and family for their problems. The last place they should be looking for validation is from YouTube commenters."