What’s it like to be a girl today?

Published: 26 Feb 2025

What’s it like to be a girl today? Girl Talk magazine marks its 30^th anniversary with an in-depth survey revealing they’d rather be scientists, lawyers or archaeologists than reality TV stars, “being kind” is what makes you beautiful, but 10 per cent of eight-year-olds are using eye cream

Over 1,000 readers of Girl Talk, the UK's number one primary-age girls' mag, responded to the survey covering topics including screen time, role models, spending choices, skin care and sustainability.

Girl Talk, the UK's number one primary-age girls' magazine, aimed at readers aged 7 to 11-years old, celebrates its 30^th anniversary this month following its launch in February 1995. To mark this milestone, the magazine surveyed over 1,000 of its readers to reveal the lifestyle, attitudes and aspirations of girls today.

The survey results released today (Wednesday 26 February) show almost half (49%) of Girl Talk readers currently use skincare/have a skincare routine. Other revealing statistics regarding skincare use from the Girl Talk X 30 survey include:

• 26% of readers below the age of 8 use skincare, this figure rises to 74% amongst 11+ readers.
• 10% of eight-year-olds are using an eye cream, rising to 18% of 11+-year-old Girl Talk readers.
• The most popular products for those who use skincare are moisturisers (83%), cleansers (64%) and facemasks (62%). 14% overall of readers say they use an eye cream.
• The average Girl Talk reader that uses skincare owns four skincare products at an average cost of £10.25 a product. 25% own six products or more.
• The majority of Girl Talk readers are bought skincare by a parent/guardian (55%).
• 81% of parents surveyed think under-18s should be accompanied by an adult if buying a product with active ingredients.
• 63% of parents surveyed think there should be a minimum age to purchase skincare products.

Claire Norman, Editor of Girl Talk, says: “Our in-depth Girl Talk x 30 survey shows how dominant skincare is girls’ lives. We were shocked to see how many are using skincare that is aimed at adults and teenagers, and an overwhelming majority of parents say it shouldn’t be sold to unaccompanied children and there should be a minimum age for buying skincare with active ingredients. The last 30 years have seen huge changes, but what has stayed the same is Girl Talk readers’ passion for friends, family, having fun and learning about themselves and the world around them. We’re grateful all the readers and their families who took part in the Girl Talk X 30 survey, and we’re looking forward to the next 30 years.”

The survey results reveal “being kind” (68%) and “being happy” (55%) are the top qualities that make someone beautiful according to Girl Talk readers. Over 1 in 3 say someone being healthy (36%) or confident (35%) makes them beautiful.

96% of Girl Talk readers have access to devices, with 3 in 4 having access to an iPad/tablet, whilst 77% of the 11+ have their own mobile phones. On average Girl Talk readers spend 8.5 hours a week online with this figure rising to 11.1 hours amongst 11+ year-olds.

When it comes to streaming services, 97% of Girl Talk readers use/watch streaming and/or catch-up services with the majority watching Netflix (82%) and Disney+ (73%) with BBC iPlayer (48%) third most popular.

86% of Girl Talk readers have an interest in looking after the planet with 59% of readers have a specific environmental concern that they’re worried about. 95% of readers are involved with activities that help the environment with over two thirds of readers using reusable cups/water bottles, donating old clothes, and recycling instead of throwing all rubbish in the bin.

Dream jobs are spread across a wide range of fields: actor (11%), dancer (10%), singer (8%) vet (7%) and teacher (6%) are the top five, whilst aspiring to be a scientist, lawyer and archaeologist as a dream job came ahead of being a reality TV star.

Taylor Swift followed by Ariana Grande were the top female celebrities that Girl Talk readers like the most and most want to be like; and Ant and Dec topped the list of the most liked and most looked up to male celebrities followed by Ed Sheeran.

Ends

For further information:
Natasha Lee natasha.lee@immediate.co.uk
Senior PR Manager, Immediate
(m) 07825 866546

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Notes to Editors

1. Methodology
The Girl Talk X 30 survey had a QR code in issue 716 of Girl Talk magazine leading to an online form. The survey was live between 27 November 2024 – 15 January 2025. A total of 1,031 surveys were completed. The survey was completed by readers of Girl Talk alongside their parents/guardians, the majority of questions were aimed at readers, specific questions targeted to parents/guardians.

2. About Girl Talk
Girl Talk launched on 22 February 1995, costing 75p, and the first issue sold 80,000 copies.

A positive, fun and empowering magazine aimed at primary girls; Girl Talk Magazine is the ‘big sister’ to our 7–11-year-old reader. It features everything that’s relevant in their world from friends and family, pets and fashion to quizzes and celebrities, with a few sprinkles, rainbows, and unicorns for good measure too! Girl Talk is a place where girls can learn about themselves while having a giggle along the way. We celebrate everything they are and serve as an inclusive space where girls can explore their identities and experience a sense of belonging. We encourage them to become their best selves, inspire confidence and empower them to pursue their aspirations. We put the Girl into Girl Power!

Girl Talk was a BBC publication until 2011 and has been wholly owned by Immediate since then.

3. About Immediate

Immediate, home to trusted brands that people love, own and operate to some of the biggest and well-known consumer brands in the UK, including Radio Times, Good Food, Nutracheck, HistoryExtra and BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine.

Our trusted, quality content reaches 40million people globally a month across digital, print, video, podcasts, apps, live events, tools and services.

We are a purpose-driven business, to bring our audiences joy by helping everyone do what they love, creating content and experiences to inspire our audience’s passions in food, wellness, gardening, history entertainment, and beyond.

With over 1.2million active subscribers across print and digital, we are the UK’s leading publisher by subscriptions. Immediate is the market leader in many of the sectors we operate in, including food, gardening and children’s publishing.

Our brands include Radio Times, Good Food, olive, BBC History magazine, BBC Gardeners’ World magazine, Girl Talk, and MadeForMums. We publish BBC Top Gear on behalf of BBC Studios and children’s titles for LEGO and Pokémon.

Immediate Live, our live events business, is the UK’s leading organiser of unmissable consumer events. We create premium events and experiences that connect and inspire our audiences, including BBC Gardeners’ World Live, the Good Food Show, London Art Fair, Move It, The Festival of Quilts and the Hampton Court Food Festival.

In November 2022, Immediate acquired Nutracheck, the UK’s leading subscription-based weight management and dietary improvement platform and with 500,000 premium subscribers, one of the biggest digital subscription apps in the UK.

With offices in London, Bristol and Nottingham, Immediate was named AOP (Association of Online Publishers) Digital Publisher of the Year 2024 and won the PPA (Professional Publishers Association) Diversity & Inclusion Award 2024.

Immediate is part of Burda International, the global arm of Hubert Burda Media.