What Helps Young Girls Build Real Confidence?
New Girl Scouts research says it's not a pep talk. It's proximity.
Key takeaway: Girl Scouts of the USA's State of the Girl 2026 report found that 92% of girls ages 5 to 7 take more social risks when a friend is present, even though 89% have skipped an activity out of fear alone. What builds a young girl's confidence isn't a speech or…
By Dear Sarah · · Updated
Key takeaways
- Girl Scouts of the USA's State of the Girl 2026 report found 92% of girls ages 5 to 7 take more social risks when a friend is present.
- 89% of girls ages 5 to 7 have skipped an activity they wanted to do purely out of fear, even though the ambition and curiosity are already there.
- 64% of girls ages 5 to 7 report feeling lonely, and more than half of girls ages 8 to 10 are already critical of their own bodies.
- Interest in STEM careers among girls has grown from 45% in 2017 to 55% in 2026, and nearly 60% of girls ages 5 to 13 prefer outdoor play to screen time.
- Being a present, encouraging adult for a younger girl, whether she is a niece, sister, or mentee, tends to strengthen the mentor's own sense of self-worth too.
A girl doesn't need a speech to feel brave. She needs someone standing next to her when it's time to jump in. That's the real finding buried in Girl Scouts of the USA's new State of the Girl 2026 report, released this month: 92% of girls ages 5 to 7 take more social risks when a friend is right there with them, even though 89% have skipped something they wanted to do purely out of fear. The confidence isn't missing. It's just waiting on company.
What did the State of the Girl 2026 report actually find?
Girl Scouts of the USA surveyed girls across the country and found a mix of hard truths and quiet hope. Sixty-four percent of girls ages 5 to 7 say they feel lonely. More than half of girls ages 8 to 10 are already critical of their own bodies. And yet, interest in STEM careers has climbed from 45% in 2017 to 55% today, and nearly 60% of girls ages 5 to 13 would rather play outside than stare at a screen, given the choice.
"Too often, the story of girls today is told in headlines that reduce them to a problem," said Bonnie Barczykowski, CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA, in the report's release. "What this report makes clear is that girls are thoughtful, capable and ready to lead, but they need environments that recognize and support the full picture of who they are." She added that the findings aren't about girls struggling in isolation. They're about "a world that has changed faster than the systems built to support them."
Local Girl Scout councils are already seeing it play out. Kate Columbia, Chief Mission Delivery Officer for Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma, told KTUL that there's "this innate reassurance that comes from reading that girls would prefer to be outside" and away from a screen. A 10-year Girl Scout named Brooklyn Engle put it simply, describing how nervous she felt before a canoe test until her troop cheered her on: "It just really helped encourage me to be able to try new things."
Why does one person change everything?
That 92% number is the one I keep coming back to. It's not that young girls lack ambition, or grit, or curiosity. Watch what WNBA Changemaker Day taught 150 teen girls and you'll see the same pattern: girls light up the second someone treats them like they belong in the room. What actually unlocks bravery is proximity to someone who believes in them out loud. A parent. A coach. A big sister. You, if you're the one a girl in your life looks up to.
This tracks with something researchers have found in grown women too. The habit of hedging, of saying "I don't know" before offering an idea that's actually good, doesn't disappear at eighteen. It gets carried forward. Sarah's written before about why so many women say "I don't know" more than men do — and reading the State of the Girl data, it's hard not to wonder how much of that starts here, at age six, the first time a girl skips the monkey bars because nobody was watching to catch her if she fell.
Why this matters for you
You might not have a daughter. You might not even like kids all that much. But you were a seven-year-old girl once, and odds are good you remember exactly which adult made you feel like you could try the hard thing. Maybe it was an aunt. A camp counselor. An older cousin who let you tag along. That role is still open, and it doesn't require a title or a certification. It requires showing up, paying attention, and saying the thing out loud instead of just thinking it.
This is also just good for you. Being the safe adult for a younger girl, whether she's your niece, your little sister, your mentee, or your neighbor's kid, tends to sharpen your own self-worth in the process. Michelle Obama talked about this at Essence Fest — the way pouring into someone else's confidence has a way of reflecting back and rebuilding your own. Mentorship isn't charity. It's mutual.
One thing to try today
Text or call a younger girl in your life today, not to check in on her, but to ask her about something she's proud of. Let her talk without correcting or steering it. Then tell her one specific thing you noticed her get braver about, by name, out loud. That's the whole intervention. It's not a program. It's fifteen minutes and your full attention.
Quote to sit with
"We're raising our girls to be perfect, and we're raising our boys to be brave." — Reshma Saujani
💌 Sarah
Frequently asked questions
What is the Girl Scouts State of the Girl 2026 report?
It's a national research report released by Girl Scouts of the USA on July 7, 2026, examining what girlhood looks like today, covering loneliness, body image, screen time, STEM interest, and what actually helps girls take risks and build confidence. CEO Bonnie Barczykowski said the goal was to move past headlines that reduce girls to 'a problem' and show the full picture of who they are.
Why do young girls lose confidence so early?
The report doesn't point to one single cause, but it does show girls as young as 5 to 7 already skipping activities out of fear and reporting loneliness. Researchers and mentorship experts have long linked this to a lack of visible, present support during the moments a girl is deciding whether to try something new.
Does having a mentor actually help a girl's confidence?
Yes. The State of the Girl 2026 data found 92% of girls ages 5 to 7 take more social risks when a friend or supportive person is present, compared to when they're on their own. It's one of the clearest, most actionable findings in the report.
How can I support a younger girl in my life if I'm not her parent?
You don't need a formal role. Being present, asking real questions, listening without correcting, and naming specific moments of her bravery out loud all count. Aunts, older cousins, coaches, camp counselors, and family friends show up repeatedly in girls' own accounts of who helped them most.
What did Michelle Obama say about self-worth that relates to this?
At Essence Fest, Michelle Obama spoke about how pouring into other people's confidence has a way of reflecting back and rebuilding your own sense of self-worth, which mirrors what the State of the Girl report suggests about mentorship being mutual rather than one-directional.
Sources
- New Girl Scouts of the USA Report Reveals the Real Story of Girlhood Beyond the Headlines — PR Newswire / Girl Scouts of the USA
- State of the Girl 2026 — Girl Scouts of the USA
- New Girl Scouts report reveals what girls really want beyond screen time — KTUL
- Reshma Saujani: Teach girls bravery, not perfection — TED
Keep reading
- What Did WNBA Changemaker Day Teach 150 Teen Girls? — 150 ninth-grade girls spent a Friday in Chicago hearing, from women who've done it, that their resilience already counts as a superpower.
- What Did Lauren Betts Say About Mental Health at the ESPYs? — A WNBA rookie stood on one of sports' biggest stages and said the thing most of us are taught to hide. Here's what she said, and why it's sticking.
- What Did Linda Noskova Say About Her Late Mother at Wimbledon? — Linda Noskova won her first Grand Slam and gave the credit to someone who wasn't there to see it. Here's what she said.
- What Did Coco Gauff Say About Serena and Venus Williams? — Coco Gauff says she's still in awe of Serena and Venus Williams — the two women who taught her what she could become before she ever picked up a racket.