OVER 100 children in Northern Ireland reached out for help with body image issues and eating disorders over the last year, a children's charity has said.
Research by the counselling service Childline, which is run by the NSPCC, found this was particularly important during the summer months.
Between April 2022 and March 2023, 4,179 counselling sessions were delivered to children and young people across the UK with worries about body image and eating disorders - including over 100 in Northern Ireland.
The data found that 40 per cent of counselling sessions (1,656) took place between June to September.
During this year’s summer holiday, Childline is now reminding children struggling with these issues that help is available with trained counsellors and online services.
One 16-year-old girl from Northern Ireland who reached out to Childline said: “I’m struggling to talk to someone about my weight and food worries.
“I find myself either super restricting what I eat, or I binge in secret at night. I know I need to tell someone, but I’ve heard my dad say before how stupid eating disorders are, if he just dismisses it, I don’t know what to do next.”
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Another girl, aged 17, told the service: “I hate that I can change how I look in my pictures online but can’t make that happen in real life. In the mirror I just see flaws that need changing. I’ve changed how I eat, I work out, but I can’t get close to how good I look on Instagram.”
For some during the summer holidays, the prospect of wearing clothes that show their body more can create a pressure to look a certain way or change their appearance.
This can be reinforced as many will spend more time online to keep in touch with their friends – meaning it increases the chance of being exposed to more content that makes them feel negatively about the way they look.
Changes to the day-to-day routine over the summer period can also be difficult to cope with for those with an eating disorder.
Kieran Lyons, Service Head of Childline, said: “Summer can be a really a tough time for anyone who is already dealing with these issues, and it also can be a time which can make others who ordinarily felt happy with their body image begin to feel negatively.
“Regardless of your situation or your worries, Childline is here to ensure that no child is left to cope alone with any worry 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.
The service also runs a monitored message board to allow young people to get support from their peers.
