Calls for better education around body image for teens in Tyne and Wear

Teenagers in Tyne and Wear need to be better taught about how to deal with the pressure of looking "perfect", created by social media sites like Instagram.

That's according to a year long study into how teens in our region see themselves.

The Youth Select Committee has received an official response from the Government to its report on tackling body image issues among children and young people.

Evidence for the report - entitled ‘A Body Confident Future’ - was gathered in 2017 from a range of witnesses, including high-profile bloggers, social media companies, charities, teachers and mental health professionals.

18-year-old Becca Moore, from North Shields, played a part in putting the report together.

She said:

"It's just all these pressures on top of your school pressures, your home life pressures - having the pressures to look a certain way, which is unrealistic because of things like photoshop anyway.

"It's creating massive pressure on young people and something needs to be done about it."

Following the inquiry, the Committee concluded that body dissatisfaction was causing long lasting consequences for young people. It stressed that the Government needed to take action in a number of areas including health, education and media to tackle this issue.

In its response, the Government recognises that although positive work is already being carried out, there is much more to do. In particular, the Government has committed to considering how understanding on body dissatisfaction among specific groups can be improved, carrying out an audit on current support available to young people, and doing more to tackle online bullying and the negative effects of social media.