The Mean Girls are Still Mean…and Social Media Has Made it Worse

Learn4Life shares eight tips to remind students why it isn’t so fetch to be a Regina George

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ask any generation about high school and you’ll find a common thread response – it’s challenging, overwhelming and awkward. Right in the middle of puberty comes social expectations, fashion pressure and added school responsibilities. Traditional high schools can be ground zero for bullying and with social media, that harassment is experienced predominantly online.

A 2023 study¹ revealed that older teen girls are more likely than younger girls or boys to have faced cyberbullying behaviors such as spreading false rumors, name-calling and even physical threats. Like fictional character Regina George from the movie Mean Girls, teen girls who bully are likely succumbing to the pressures of high school and feeling insecure. Without the proper tools or understanding for how to cope, they resort to controlling and manipulative behaviors.

When students have a tough time adjusting socially, personalized learning programs like Learn4Life can help them gain essential life skills like resiliency, expressing empathy, building self-confidence and managing stress. Through a trauma-resilient education, Learn4Life students are encouraged to celebrate each other, practice kindness and find commonality to create a culture of inclusion.

Learn4Life launched a social media campaign and offers teens tips to help avoid being like “The Plastics.”

1. Recognize the why behind any stress or anxiety you’re experiencing. Try to retrace the steps of your thoughts that brought you to the current uneasy feelings. It can help neutralize them.
2. Don’t believe everything you see online. AI can make fake images or videos look real so make sure to question, question, question that shady pic you just saw posted.
3. Be an anti-bully! It’s not enough to simply not engage in bullying. Stand up and speak out for people who are being bullied. You never know when you might need the same kind of support.
4. Try not to exclude people because they’re different. Having a diverse and ever-expanding social group helps you see different perspectives – plus it means you not having to wear pink on Wednesdays.
5. Keep it off the feed. If you have issues between friends, solve them among yourselves or even with a trusted mentor instead of spilling the tea on your socials.
6. Silence isn’t always golden. Talk it out, no ghosting. Don’t be afraid to calmly communicate how you’re feeling. Instead of just ignoring someone, talk to them or at least reply.
7. Feel your feelings, but do not ‘become’ your emotions. You can’t always help how you feel about something, but you can control how you react. Use breathing and refocusing techniques to help reset your emotions.
8. Remember that hurt people hurt people. If someone is bullying another, be curious about why. Are they going through issues at home? Did something happen to them? Try to intervene or enlist a trusted adult to help.

October 3 is Mean Girls Day where fans of the film dress up like characters and watch the movie with friends. Learn4Life commemorates the day by reminding teens that while laughing at The Plastics’ cringe moments, they should remember to impact someone’s day with words of kindness and support.

If you or someone you know is experiencing bullying, call or text 988 to immediately connect with mental health resources.

About Learn4Life

Learn4Life is a network of nonprofit public high schools that provide students personalized learning, career training and life skills. Each school is locally controlled, tuition free and gives students the flexibility and one-on-one attention they need to succeed. Serving more than 59,000 students through a year-round program, we help them prepare for a future beyond high school. For more information, please visit www.learn4life.org.

¹ https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/12/15/teens-and-cyberbullying-2022/