Body image in teenagers

Body image is the picture a person has of their own body – how they see it, judge it and feel about it. It isn't formed in the mirror, but through comparison: with friends, with advertising, with images on social media and with what's said about bodies at home. During puberty, when the body is changing fast, it's particularly vulnerable.

The figures are sobering: in the WHO's HBSC study of school-age children, around one in two 15-year-old girls in Germany thought they were too fat – even though the vast majority are a normal weight. Many boys are dissatisfied too, often in the direction of “not muscular enough”. A negative body image is not just a cosmetic issue: it increases the risk of dieting, eating disorders and low mood, and can lead teenagers to avoid sport and the swimming pool.

Social media amplifies this. Filtered images, before-and-after videos and “What I eat in a day” clips show bodies that don't exist in real life – and algorithms serve up more of them the longer you look. Studies show that even briefly looking at such images can reduce how satisfied people are with their own bodies.

What families can do: no comments about bodies – not about your child, not about yourself and not about others (“She's really put on weight”). Talk about what bodies can do, not how they look. No diet talk at the table. Build media literacy: spot filters together, unfollow accounts that make you feel bad, make diversity visible. And treat sport as fun, not as a way to reshape your body.

A positive body image is also good protection against diet spirals: if you like your body, you look after it rather than punishing it. If your child hates themselves, avoids meals or talks constantly about their appearance, listen – and get support early from your paediatrician or a counselling service. Anonymous help is available from the German Federal Institute for Public Health (BIÖG, formerly BZgA) via its eating disorders helpline on 0221 892031 and, for young people, from the German children's and youth helpline “Nummer gegen Kummer” on 116 111.