Body image in childhood
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How comfortable are children and young people with their bodies?
While exact estimates vary, depending on how body image is measured, concerns and worries about appearance are commonplace among young people. One survey of 11–16-year-olds in the UK by Be Real found that 79% said how they look is important to them, and over half (52%) often worry about how they look. In our survey of young people aged 13–19, 35% said their body image causes them to ‘often’ or ‘always’ worry.
While body image concerns affect both boys and girls, research suggests that girls are more likely to be dissatisfied with their appearance and their weight than boys. In our survey, 46% of girls reported that their body image causes them to worry ‘often’ or ‘always’ compared to 25% of boys. Body image concerns can also affect very young children. One review found studies identifying body dissatisfaction in children under the age of six, though estimates of the degree of dissatisfaction varied widely depending on...
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