Almost half of teens bullied for their appearance

Almost three in ten of those surveyed had experienced this bullying from their friends. Speaking to Youthwork, Catherine Collins – principal dietician of St George’s Hospital NHS trust - said that this form of bullying was more damaging as, ‘For teens the opinion of their friends is considered twice as important as the opinion of their family members.’ Lalage Harries, head of well-being at BeatBullying explained to Youthwork why this was the case: ‘Appearance is the most concrete way to say to someone ‘you’re different’, to isolate someone and make them feel powerless. For young people who are growing into their bodies, it’s a time of incredible vulnerability about their appearance.’

This bullying may also be having a tangible impact on the physical health of respondents. Over a third of teenage girls say they have been on a diet while more than one in ten girls aged between 12 and 14 claim to be permanently dieting. Collins said: ‘As a dietician I know that that’s probably not an accurate reflection of what’s really going on. What tends to happen in that age group is that they’ll skip breakfast and lunch so it looks like they’re not eating and get the support from their peers that they’re trying to do something. But by the time they get home they’re so hungry they binge eat on the things they should avoid.’

Harries had this advice for youth workers: ‘There’s a responsibility for all of us as to how we model our behaviour, so it’s not just what we say to young people, but being aware of the attitudes we carry around and the things we say about ourselves and other people. That’s all being taken in by the people around us and forming their attitudes – forming whether they think it’s ok to say something hurtful to someone else, or whether they think it’s wrong to talk to someone that way. Us being conscious of our attitudes will not only help them be secure psychologically but also help them come to us as someone they can trust in.’

Another new initiative to come out of Anti-bullying week was the launch of the ‘BATline’ (bully action team line). The system allows parents or students to report any bullying to school via a text number.