A Worrying Trend is Affecting Millions of Little Girls

As the father of a little girl, I beg you to read this study and then DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. We can't let this continue or we'll be to blame for destroying a generation of little girls.

First let me tell you about the organization that did this research, Common Sense Media (CSM). CSM is a nonprofit organization that reviews media content targeted at kids. I use their reviews and recommendations often.

According to CSM's research, an alarming number of girls are so concerned about their weight that they're resorting to dieting before the age of seven. And familiar culprits are largely to blame. Society, media and peers have led to a staggering 80% of 10-year-old girls dieting because of the way they look. And it's not just girls, even boys are having the same issues. With boys, dieting usually went unnoticed because it wasn't traditionally seen as a boys' concern.

What can you do to start fixing this 'way out of control' problem? PAY ATTENTION DAMNIT!   Get involved, listen to kids if they engage in negative talk about themselves and 'frame the bigger picture' message and drive it home like this does:

How true is this? We would never talk to our friends or family like the way we talk to ourselves. The first and foremost step to being healthy is treating your own body with love & respect, no matter what stage in you're journey you are at ❤️

A photo posted by Nikki Sharp (@staysharpbestrong) onJan 26, 2015 at 7:14pm PST

 

CSM also says to watch for signs of dramatic weight loss or gain. If you can't catch any kind of dramatic weight changes in your child, shame on you... PAY ATTENTION DAMNIT!

CSM's study placed blame on the media's unrealistic depictions of body images - particularly among pop stars, models and entertainers. Some pop stars, like Lorde, have chosen to address the issue head on after she recently realized that a photograph of her had been photoshopped to rid her face of imperfections.

Here's Lorde's TERRIFIC EXAMPLE of how to frame the message delivered in this instance:

Lorde tweeted to fans:

And speaking of Twitter, with the rise of social media sites, like Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat, children are also increasingly being affected by other people's ideas about how they look in photos posted online. GET VERY INVOLVED! How they perceive themselves will make all the difference in the world. Having struggled with my weight since childhood (and I know it was a different time) I still had people around me at home and school keeping me from being that tough on myself. I chose to fix my weight issues because of health reasons, not because I wanted to look like someone else. I didn't come up with that on my own as a child... SOMEONE PAID ATTENTION!