Childline is anticipating an August spike in contacts from children struggling with body image issues and eating disorders.
New data from the NSPCC service reveals it delivered 4,229 counselling sessions to young people across the UK from April 2023 to March 2024 about these problems.
Support from Childline about body image issues and eating disorders peaked in August last year – mid-way through the Northern Ireland school holidays when children are not in class and are potentially spending more time outside or on social media.
The report also points to the overwhelming majority of counselling sessions about these problems being delivered to girls – where gender was known 88% of counselling sessions were with females, 6% with males and 6% with young people who identified as trans or non-binary.
Common themes that came out of Childline counselling sessions on body image and eating disorders include:
• Comparing themselves to their friends, siblings and people on social media
• Guilt around eating particular ‘bad’ foods or eating at all
• Not knowing how to manage weight or fitness without going to extremes
• Desires to make cosmetic and surgical changes to their body
• Cancelling plans or avoiding social situations due to body image issues
• Worries about disordered eating patterns getting out of control
One 13-year-old from Northern Ireland told Childline:
“I hate the way I look, especially my arms and legs. I’ve been thinking about it more and more recently, but I don’t know what to do about it.
“I can’t talk to my friends – they’re all really nice but they’re also really skinny, so it would be like super awkward. I don’t think they’d get it.
“I’ve tried looking at body positivity stuff online, but the comments are like ‘just go to the gym’ or ‘this isn't healthy’ - and it makes me feel even worse.”
Childline understands there are number of factors that make the school summer holidays a particularly tricky time for children and young people struggling with their body image or their relationship with food.
The NSPCC service is hearing from children who are telling them that wearing clothing which shows their body more can make them feel under pressure to look a certain way, that they need to lose weight or change their appearance.
For others, this pressure is also reinforced as many will be spending more time online during the summer months to keep in touch with their friends and to stay entertained. As a result, many children may be exposed to more content online that might make them feel negatively about the way they look.
Additionally, children who struggle with eating disorders might find a change in their day-to-day routine and eating habits over the summer period difficult to cope with.
A girl (13) from Northern Ireland told Childline:
“Recently, I feel as though I've been gaining a lot of weight and like I never stop eating. Every time I try to eat healthy, I go off the rails and literally search the house top to bottom for something with sugar in it.
“It’s hard cos I hate the way my body looks, and it stops me from doing a lot of things. I know I should probably tell someone like my mum how I feel, but I’m so awkward and I never know how to have those conversations.”
The NSPCC, as well as supporting young people through Childline, is calling on Ofcom to strengthen its approach to the Online Safety Act to ensure companies better protect children from harmful content linked to eating disorders and body image.
Kieran Lyons, Service Head of Childline said:
“Seeing a spike in contacts about body image issues and eating disorders in August shows us that the summer holidays can be a particularly tough time for some young people.
“This could be a result of them seeing more content online or on the television, and being in situations that makes them more anxious about their body image.
“Regardless of their situation or worries, Childline wants to remind all young people that our trained counsellors are here for them, and that no child should feel like they are alone with any concerns they have.”
All children can speak to a trained counsellor over the phone on 0800 1111, via email or on a 121 chat on the Childline website.
Children can also visit the website to find more advice on any concerns or questions they may have on body image and eating disorders. They can also use the service’s moderated message boards to get support from their peers.
Advice
If there is a young person in your life struggling with their body image or an eating disorder here are some tips on how best to support them:
• Remind them that how they look is part of who they are and that their personality, achievements and the way they behave is important too.
• Images they may see on TV, in magazines, in social media or online are often altered and airbrushed so what they are seeing isn’t always real.
• Remind them that everyone is different and not to compare themselves to anyone else. Accepting themselves is all about them noticing things they are happy and unhappy about and realise that is what makes them unique.
• To help build their confidence encourage them to spend time focusing on a hobby they enjoy.
• Also, it may help if they write down every morning a few things they like about themselves.