Suicide rates among schoolgirls and young women have hit a record high, new figures show, as experts warned that the pressures of modern life were fuelling the rise.

Data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that 13.3 per cent of deaths of females aged between five and 19 are now due to suicide, a 38 per cent increase from 2016.

It is the highest percentage recorded since records began in 2001. Of the 490 girls and women aged between five and 19 who died in 2017, 65 of them took their own lives, and suicide is now the leading cause of death in that age group.

Experts are increasingly warning that young girls face unprecedented pressures to conform to idealised images of beauty on social platforms, as well as dealing with cyberbullying, sexual exploitation and grooming, all of which damage their mental health.

Dr Jon Goldin, Vice chair of the child and adolescent faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists said: “These are deeply concerning figures which once again highlight the pressures facing young women in our society today.

“Girls are perhaps more susceptible than boys to the kind of pressures society increasingly places on them to look good, lead a glamorous lifestyle etc.