Because you are only ever as happy as your unhappiest child
Mental health issues don’t just affect children and young people.
The escalation in issues around body image and eating difficulties in children and young people has increased stress and anxiety for adults too. The most recent UK research shows that child eating disorders have doubled in less than a decade but only 6% of young people with disordered eating or body dysmorphia are underweight¹, so it can be hard for parents and carers to know when body ‘dissatisfaction’ becomes a ‘disorder’. It can be even harder for adults to know where to turn when they think that their child needs support, and increased demand means that children are waiting months for a first appointment.
Social media is driving the increase in body dissatisfaction in young people.
Instagram first launched in 2010 and an analysis of GP records which was conducted by The Universities of Manchester, Keele, and Exeter found that between 2010 to 2022, diagnoses of eating disorders increased by 42% in girls aged 13-16, and by 32% in 17-19 year-olds. The incidence of self-harm rose by 38% with the greatest increase occurring in girls aged 13-16². Australian research published in 2024 found that women who were exposed to pro-anorexia content on TikTok for just ten minutes experienced reduced body image satisfaction³. Other research shows that it is the proliferation of health and wellness content on social media that is driving increased social comparison and increased body dissatisfaction⁴. Mental Health Foundation research with over 1,000 young people aged 13-19 found that 31% of young people felt ashamed about their body and 35% had stopped eating or limited what they ate because of how they felt; 40% blamed social media for exacerbating body dissatisfaction⁵.
Early help for young people with body dysmorphia or eating difficulties in Leicestershire.
Successful early intervention needs to catch the unhelpful thinking that precedes unhealthy behaviours. By providing young people with a safe space to anonymously discuss their worries with each other, Tellmi gives young people the tools they need to turn off the food noise and silence their inner critics. Tellmi is a multi-award-winning digital solution that is funded by the NHS in Leicestershire to provide anonymous, age-banded peer and counsellor support to those over the age of 11. Unlike social media platforms, all posts and replies are checked by a trained moderator before going live and qualified counsellors intervene preemptively if they have any concerns about a young person. There is no private messaging, no photo sharing, and conversations relating to calorie counting or unhelpful dietary practices are withheld. In Leicestershire and Rutland, Tellmi’s partnership with the eating disorder charity First Steps ED means that young people can also access a range of in-person, or online specialist support.
Tellmi and First Steps ED can support you too.
Because young people who use Tellmi are only talking to peers within two years of their age, parents and carers can use the service to get support for themselves, or to discuss their concerns about their children. If your child is being treated by First Steps ED, you can also access their four-week ‘Skills for Carers’ programme. This is an NHS-funded service, so it's free for you, and it is free for your child too.
If you would like to find out more or get a quote for commissioning Tellmi in your area or school, please contact us and we will be in touch.
References
Flament, M. F., Henderson, K., Buchholz, A., Obeid, N., Nguyen, H. N. T., Birmingham, M., & Goldfield, G. (2015). Weight status and DSM-5 diagnoses of eating disorders in adolescents from the community. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 54(5). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2015.01.020
Trafford, A., Carr, M., Ashcroft, D., Chew-Graham, C., Cockcroft, E., Cybulski, L., Garavini, E., Garg, S., Kabir, T., Kapur, N., Temple, R., Webb, R., & Mok, P. (2023). Temporal trends in eating disorder and self-harm incidence rates among adolescents and young adults in the UK in the two years following onset of the COVID-19 pandemic: a population-based study. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 7(7). Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(23)00126-8
Blackburn MR, Hogg RC. #ForYou? the impact of pro-ana TikTok content on body image dissatisfaction and internalisation of societal beauty standards. PLoS One. 2024 Aug 7;19(8):e0307597. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0307597. PMID: 39110711; PMCID: PMC11305550.
Marks, R.J, De Foe A., Collett J.,(2020) The pursuit of wellness: Social media, body image and eating disorders, Children and Youth Services Review, Volume 119,
The impact of body image on mental and physical health. House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee. 2022