Flip through any fashion magazine and you're sure to find an array of beautiful, thin, celebrities gracing the glossy pages. But while they may be pretty to look at, do you worry about what message such idealized images are sending to your child or teen?
The fact is that many children and adolescents use these celebrities to measure their own body shape and appearance. Therefore, when the women and men they see in the media are unrealistically thin, this can send the wrong message to kids and can also take a toll on their self-esteem.
The Facts about Media Influence on Children
A number of researchers have taken a closer look at this topic in recent years to get a better understanding of the impact that celebrities have on young people. The findings of multiple studies exploring such media influence on children consistently reveal that large numbers of children and teens are dissatisfied with their own bodies since they don't measure up to what they see. As a result, many kids turn to diet pills, skip meals or engage in other unhealthy eating patterns to try to live up to the ideals presented in the media.
The news isn't all bad, though. You might even feel heartened to know that another study, which appeared in the March 2010 issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, reports that what has an even stronger impact on girls than media figures are the looks and behaviors of their own classmates and peers. Therefore, the eating habits, body shapes and sizes of other students may play a large part in determining how much, and what, your daughter eats.
The Role that Peers Play
The researchers say that students seem drawn to follow the example of peers who are a similar size and weight. This means that if the average BMU of your child's school is higher, your child will likely be comfortable at a higher weight. On the flip side, if many students are considered underweight, your normal weight child will feel more pressure to diet and try to lose weight.
To come to these conclusions about peer pressure being more prominent that media influence on children, the study looked at data from about 4,000 female high school students from around the country taken from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.
The Significance
What the findings mean on a broader scale is that schools are uniquely positioned to communicate healthy messages to their students when it comes to body images and weight. Further, other researchers point out that families can also play an important role in helping females feel good about their body size and shape.
How to Counteract Peer Pressure and Media Influence on Children
You can help to counteract peer pressure and media influence on children by sitting down with your daughter and talking about this topic. Simply raising the discussion will help you to get a handle on how she feels about the issue and will give you a chance to help her feel good about herself and her own strengths. You can also use this opportunity to look together at examples of celebrities in magazines and talk about realistic expectations and goals. You can also want to help to take the focus off of any "ideal" sizes and shapes and instead educate your youngster about the importance of eating a healthy diet and engaging in regular exercise.
Finally, teach your youngster to appreciate differences in herself and others rather than feeling a need to live up to any media-created standards. By keeping the lines of communication open and providing a safe environment for her to talk to you, you may even be able to help your child become a positive role model for her peers.
Sources:
Health Behavior News Service
http://www.cfah.org/hbns/archives/getDocument.cfm?documentID=22234
Journal of Health and Social Behavior
http://www.cfah.org/hbns/archives/viewSupportDoc.cfm?supportingDocID=901
Just Think.org
http://www.justthink.org/
