Girl Scouts: Reality TV Shows Turn Women Into 'Mean Girls'

Girl Scouts of the USA is warning its legions ... reality television shows are turning young women into "mean girls."

The Girl Scouts Research Institute conducted a study on reality TV ... and concluded, "teen girls who regularly view reality TV accept and expect a higher level of drama, aggression, and bullying in their own lives, and measure their worth primarily by their physical appearance."

A rep for the Institute also noted that reality TV shows "more frequently portrays girls and women in competition with one another rather than in support or collaboration. This perpetuates a 'mean-girl' stereotype and normalizes this behavior among girls."

The Girl Scouts did not name any of the shows involved in their study.

But it wasn't all bad news ... the GSRI says 68% of girls surveyed agree reality shows "make me think I can achieve anything in life" and 48% believe they "help me realize there are people out there like me."

The Girl Scouts note, "We don't want girls to avoid reality TV, but want them, along with their parents, to know what they are getting into when they watch it."

So we gotta ask ...