As summer approaches, Childline is preparing for a rise in calls from children concerned about their body image

Lili Dunn, NSPCC Cymru Local Campaigns Manager

It only takes a couple of weeks of sunshine to make us all start thinking about the summer. And as it approaches many of us will be reaching for lighter clothing and items to keep us cooler as things start to heat up.

So many of us dread those months, including children and young people, where even the idea of wearing certain clothing can bring on intense feelings of dread and upsetting thoughts.

Our Childline service anticipates calls of this nature rising in the summer months, with 4,229 counselling sessions taking place with children and young people about body images and eating disorders from April 2023 to March 2024.

Contacts about body image peaked in the month of August.

Those who contacted Childline compared themselves to friends, siblings and people on social media.

They expressed guilt around eating foods they considered to be bad, and some said they weren’t eating at all.

Additionally, many also expressed that they had been subjected to hurtful and negative comments from family, friends, bullies and partners about their weight and body.

Girls

Data also suggests that most counselling sessions about these problems were given to girls.

Where gender of the recipient was known, 88 percent of counselling sessions were delivered to girls, six percent with boys and six percent with young people who identified as trans or non-binary.

The NSPCC and Childline understand that the summer holidays can be a difficult time for young people struggling with their body image or relationship with food. Our counsellors are hearing from children who say they feel under pressure to look a certain way, lose weight or wear more revealing clothing.

Some said they did not know how to manage weight or fitness without going to extremes, some children told us they wanted to make cosmetic and surgical changes to their body, while others said they had cancelled plans or avoided social situations due to their body image issues.

We believe part of the spike in contacts over the summer could also be due to young people seeing more content online, or on the television and in magazines during this period, which could exacerbate any negative body image issues.

Struggling

If you are worried that a child in your life is struggling with their body image or an eating disorder, there are ways you can support them. Remind them that how they look is only part of who they are and that their personality, achievements and the way they behave are important too.

Help them understand that the pictures they see on TV, in magazines, in social media or online are often altered and airbrushed to show flawless or near-perfect images, where what they are seeing isn’t always real.

It’s also important to remind them that everyone is different, and it isn’t helpful to compare themselves to anyone else. Instead, try noticing things they are happy and unhappy about and help them to appreciate that these are the things that make them unique.

Confidence

Focusing on a hobby or something they enjoy could help them to build their confidence, as could taking a few minutes each morning to write down a few things they like about themselves. It sounds simple, but small things like this can improve a young person’s wellbeing.

And whilst we know exercise is a great way to improve our mental and physical health, sometimes body issues can get in the way. It’s important that children and young people understand that there’s no such thing as the ‘wrong’ body for a sport or activity and exercising doesn’t have to mean being in the best team, it can be whatever they enjoy.

Any child can speak to one of our trained counsellors over the phone on 0800 1111, via email or on a one-to-one chat on the Childline website, free and in confidence.