A new poll revealed that two-thirds of parents have said their kids felt self-conscious about how they looked. The C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health found that how children think about their appearance and view their bodies impacts their emotional and mental well-being and interactions with other people.
A national sample of parents with children from eight to 18 years old were asked about issues related to their children's self-perception of their appearance and body image. Findings showed that 64 percent of these parents said their kids are self-conscious of their appearance, 32 percent said their children were conscious of their acne or skin condition, 31 percent stated weight, while 27-, 18-, 17- and 12- percent were conscious of their hair, teeth, height, and facial features, respectively. Twenty percent of those with daughters said that girls are conscious of their breasts.
Further, the poll stated that teen girls are the most self-conscious (73%) as compared to young girls (57%), teen boys (69%), and younger boys (49%).
Among the 64 percent of parents who expressed their child's consciousness towards their appearance, 27 percent feel that it negatively impacts their child's self-esteem, and 20 percent on their child's confidence and willingness to participate in activities.
Thirty-one percent of these parents revealed that they hear and notice their children saying negative comments about their own appearances. Eighteen percent said that their children avoid being in photos, 17 percent try to hide their appearance with clothing, and 8 percent restrict themselves from eating, all because they are conscious of their appearance.
Parents also expressed that their children were treated unkindly because of their appearance at some point, and this could have been the cause of their self-consciousness. Twenty-eight percent of the parents indicated that their kids were mistreated by other children, 12 percent by other family members and strangers, and 5 percent by teachers and health care providers.
What is the implication?
Director of education, bioethics, and medical humanities and associate professor of psychiatry at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Dr. Eileen Anderson-Fye, declared that these feelings of consciousness are common among children, especially those that are in the adolescent stage.
"Developmentally, adolescents are bringing online parts of their brain that allow for increased comparison of where they fit relative to others in their social worlds.Body image issues have long caused adolescents self-conscious discomfort in many societies, cultures, and subcultures," Anderson-Fye explained.
It is just quite more challenging these days for the kids because of social media, which is making the issue more and more complicated, given that they get to compare themselves not only with their actual world but also to "instant, constant, and filtered images from national and global media," contending to "idealized, edited images of someone's best moment," while they go through their worst. As a result, there is higher consciousness in appearance and a lower level of self-esteem.
Being self-conscious is normal. However, if it already reaches an undue level of concern, then it can be dangerous. A negative body image has been linked to unhealthy mental and emotional well-being. Thus, according to Mott Poll co-director Dr. Susan Woolford, MPH, parents need to understand how vital it is to help their children have a positive perception of their bodies.
How can parents help?
Here are guidelines from experts on how parents can help their children overcome the consciousness towards their appearance and teach self-esteem along the way.
1. Walk the talk.
What parents model or act in front of their children gets to be absorbed over time. Parents should stop making negative comments about themselves and show their children that they are confident in their skin, who they are, and what they do. Encourage self-acceptance and model actions and behaviors to help them build positive self-esteem. Moreover, parents must learn to compliment and praise their kids' character over their appearance.
2. Open, honest discussion about children's feelings.
Parents should have an open, honest conversation with their children that the changes in their bodies are normal and that the uncomfortability will change over time. Explain that self-consciousness usually happens in the season of adolescence, and they are not alone in going through these challenges. Most importantly, parents need to put the right context on the people and things they see on social media. Point out that each person is created uniquely and that diversity and differences should be embraced and celebrated. They need to listen to their children's responses and not react in dismissive or assumptive ways.
3. Educate them about social media and respect them on social media.
Parents must educate their children about filters, photoshop, and "image angles." Guide the children towards body-positive blogs, vlogs, and influencers. Moreover, parents should respect their children's privacy, ensuring they do not post photos of them on social media without their approval.
4. Place them in supportive, loving environments.
Parents need to find out where and with whom their children feel most joyful about themselves and foster those environments and people to boost kids' confidence.
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