NORTH CAROLINA, USA — A disturbing new report highlighted on GMS revealed a significant rise in the number of teenagers who are thinking about hurting themselves, primarily because of negative body image. For parents, it can be unsettling if their child self-harms.
There are a few factors that contribute to this increase in negative body image among teens. Certainly, social media plays a significant role as they are bombarded with unrealistic portrayals of beauty, which are edited photos and videos. This gives a distorted sense of reality and makes teens think that this is something they aspire to get attention and acceptance from friends and potential love interests.
In addition to social media, teens feel pressure from people around them, whether their friends or family. They’re also listening to other’s comments about body shapes and sizes and seeing who’s accepted and rejected based on this.
Here are a few critical strategies for parents to help their teens combat these negative influences.
First, parents should be positive and healthy role models about their bodies and their comments about others. Second, have open and honest conversations about body image, particularly your own, while you were younger or now, and how you dealt with it. Talk about what you wish people understood about healthy bodies. And most importantly, talking about a person's character is more important than external appearances. A person who is kind, respectful, and loving is someone you want in your life. A person who might be in good physical shape but is a jerk to others isn’t someone you’d like to hang around. Third, it doesn’t matter what anyone says about you because it’s not your business, and their opinion doesn’t matter. It’s what you think about yourself that matters.
Parents can help teens navigate social media healthily by encouraging them to think critically about what they see on social media. Talk about filters and editing tools that many people use that aren’t showing the real person. Remember that teens are still developing their sense of self. Encourage them to focus on what their bodies can do, not just how they look. Point out people you know who have different body types and are happy, successful, and in loving relationships. And support their interest and activities that celebrate their strengths.
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