CLEVELAND — Spring break season is here, and before you know it, we will be into the summer months. It's the time of year when we can shed the heavy layers. But it's also a time when people; adults, teens, kids, can feel very exposed.
Body image issues can plague anyone of any age or gender. On today's Mom Squad, Maureen Kyle talks with Dr. Emily Mudd with the Cleveland Clinic Center for Pediatric Behavioral Health. She says the images kids are exposed to can set them up for unrealistic expectations of what they should look like.
“A negative body image in children and adolescents would be when they perceive a lower self-esteem related to how they look. Specifically, whether that's correlated with health or not,” said Mudd.
Mudd says studies show children as young as preschool have negative perceptions of their self-image, which leads to negative self-worth, especially in little girls.
“But we also know that it's emerging for little boys as well. So, we know that saying things like 'fat' in books or even these superheroes with these big muscles. There's been a lot of literature on how Barbie dolls look, we know all information, books, figurines, social media, what children are consuming is not realistic for what a human body can look like for boys or girls, and we've seen it as young as preschoolers," Mudd said.
Mudd also goes into detail about how to talk to teens about social media and how many of the images are photoshopped or altered. There are red flags to look for in your child when it comes to whether negative body image is leading to other issues like depression or eating disorders.
You can watch the entire episode of Mom Squad on WKYC-Plus which you can find on Roku and Fire TV. You can also see it on your WKYC YouTube channel or below.
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