Best Practice

Tackling body image as part of RSE and health education

Pastoral issues PSHE Pupil wellbeing Mental health
There are concerns that 24/7 life in the digital world is causing substantial harm to young minds, not least when it comes to body image. Lesley de Meza considers the research and urges schools to tackle the issue as part of statutory RSE and health education from this September


From September 2020, all schools are required to teach students about relationships and health, including the impact of unhealthy or obsessive comparisons with others*.

Body image is the image we have in our heads of how we look (in terms of our appearance, our shape, our size), and how it makes us feel – positive or negative. If we do not like our bodies – which seems to be the case for many young people today – it can have a negative impact on our self-perception and self-esteem...


The research in this area is worrying. A recent poll of 14 to 24-year-olds carried out by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) and the Young Health Movement found that Instagram ranked the worst for negatively impacting on young people’s mental health (RSPH, 2017).

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