Girls want to be slimmer after internet game

Young girls say they were more aware and more dissatisfied with their bodies after playing a children’s internet game for just 10 minutes, a study by Bristol academics has found.

Primary school children said they wanted a slimmer figure immediately after playing a free game Dream Date Dress Up where players can give a female character a makeover.

UWE researchers asked a group of 40 eight and nine-year-olds to play the makeover game available on Friv-games.com. Another 40 played Penguin Diner, a game from the same website which is not based on appearance.

After playing the children were asked to select the silhouette of a body shape which most closely represented their own, and the one most desirable to them. Both groups recorded a preference for a slimmer figure but children who had played Dream Date Dress Up registered a ‘significantly’ greater preference for a thinner body than those who had played Penguin Diner.

The research will be unveiled at Appearance Matters, the world’s largest conference on body image and disfigurement next week.

Bristol24/7 is awaiting a statement from Friv-games but on its website the company said: “We have worked hard to ensure that players on Friv are not inappropriately exposed to bad language, overtly sexual themes or imagery, references to illegal drug use, scenarios or characters glorifying drinking, smoking, or gambling, or depictions of extreme violence and gore.

The company adds: “The games on Friv have been systematically checked to ensure that they are appropriate for the various demographic groups which are likely to play them. While it can’t be said that none of the games feature violence (even Pac Man may be regarded as violent), we have tried to keep the content made available on Friv consistent with what would be regarded as reasonable to show on a television channel throughout a typical day.” 

Amy Slater, from the Centre for Appearance Research, based at UWE Bristol, said the research is concerning: “We know that girls who have body dissatisfaction at a young age are more likely to experience ongoing concerns when they grow up. Body dissatisfaction is known to be a risk factor for lowered self-esteem, disordered eating and depression.

“A game like that is sending a fairly blatant message for young girls that they need to change their appearance in order to be appealing to a boy and that you need to focus on your appearance to be attractive to the opposite sex.

“Young girls of six, seven, eight, nine and 10 are the target audience for this game. Do they need to even be thinking about how they would prepare to go on a date, and how they can make themselves look cute? This is not a helpful message for young girls to be focusing on.”

In 2014, Ofcom highlighted that children were increasingly being attracted to multi-game websites such as Friv.com which contain a large number of mini games. Other appearance-related games on the site include Fashion Week Dress Up, Pin-up Facial Beauty and Selena’s Date Rush.

Dr Slater said the effect of internet games on young players needs to be more widely understood: “It’s useful for parents to be aware of the types of messages children are being exposed to. Lots of parents may not realise these messages are prevalent in game websites like this.

“It would also be useful to see more societal level changes, with improved regulation, and ideally game makers creating games which are appealing to young girls without containing these types of messages. We would welcome a discussion with the creators of these games.