Why Young Girls Are Quitting Sports At Alarming Rates & How We Can Break The Cycle

As a neuroscientist who studies how physical activity impacts the brain, I fear what these statistics could mean for our children's future. Let's explore why exercise is so important for our youth, and how we can help more girls stick with sports for the sake of their physical and mental health.

To our knowledge, there is no specific age at which the brain is most malleable. It's likely the brain is plastic and sensitive to the positive inputs of movement throughout the lifespan.

Clearly, opportunities for physical activity are essential for growing kids. But unfortunately, schools across the U.S. are cutting them due to increased academic pressures.10 School systems often believe that physical education and recess are of less educational value than formal academic topics. But, as our research shows, that's not the case at all. 

Despite the benefits of athletics, most youth now drop out of sports by the age of 13—with girls stopping earlier than boys on average. A 2022 survey by Women in Sport reported that over 1 million adolescent girls (43%) who considered themselves sporty stopped playing sports in middle school—right around the time of puberty. 

Girls are leaving sports because they perceive they are not as competent in athletics as their peers—even when that's not true13. Here are a few more potential reasons14 that girls drop out of sports at a higher rate than boys:

Given their utmost importance for physical and mental health, here are a few ideas on how we can make physical activity and sport more appealing to young girls and boys.

Sports should be about play. Parents and teachers can focus on the joy of moving around, making healthy decisions, forming friendships, and learning how to work with others.

At younger ages, both girls and boys are not as influenced by self-perception of skills. In other words, they are less self-conscious, and they like to participate in sports whether or not they are competent. This developmental window provides an opportunity for parents and coaches to encourage a love of movement—especially in girls. This may lead to improved perceived competence and greater involvement in movement later in life.

It is also important for young people (as well as their parents and coaches) to understand there are different developmental trajectories of male and female athletic performance. Adults need to be open to and encouraging of conversations about puberty and body changes, especially in girls. 

Finally, let’s promote more healthy, realistic images of athletes to encourage participation in physical activity—especially among girls. Highlighting more female role models in sports and putting a greater spotlight on women's athletics will hopefully inspire girls to stay active throughout their lives.

Movement during childhood and adolescence is critical to the healthy development of the body and brain. However, physical activity and sport participation in youth are on the decline, especially in girls. We need to reverse this trend—and we can start by making movement and athletics fun, teaching young people about the importance of fitness and health, and promoting positive body image with realistic role models. Let’s get moving!