<p>
	There has been a huge increase in the number of referrals of children with eating disorders</p>
<p>
	Social media puts huge pressure on young people to be thin and camera ready at all times and they don&rsquo;t have the emotional maturity to deal with that, says Aveen Bannon of the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute.</p>
<p>
	She works a lot in the area of eating disorders and has seen a huge increase in the number of referrals of children, usually girls. Their dissatisfaction with their bodies often stems from comparing themselves to friends in photographs and &ldquo;selfies&rdquo; on social media, and they start restricting what they eat as a result.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;Typically it used to occur in the 16-18 age group &ndash; now it is occurring much, much younger. And I think that is the big challenge.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;Sixth class/first year would be a key time when you see problems arising. You hear girls are measuring their thighs in class.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;Research shows that one in four girls is dissatisfied with her body, but we also know a similar percentage are overweight or obese, so it could be argued that many are right not to be happy. It&rsquo;s a fine line,&rdquo; Bannon says.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;If you&rsquo;re overweight you shouldn&rsquo;t be saying: &lsquo;Yeah yeah, I&rsquo;m great&rsquo; because you should lose weight,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;Likewise, being underweight is not a good thing either.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
	In terms of nutrition and body image, it is about trying to find the middle ground and to make sure young people are seeing their body in a realistic way.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;We can&rsquo;t get to a point where we are afraid to tell a child they are overweight,&rdquo; she says. But the focus should be on health, not weight.</p>
<p>
	Sometimes overweight children are completely unaware and it is a parent&rsquo;s responsibility to make them more aware, she says.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;But that doesn&rsquo;t mean you turn on them and say: &lsquo;You&rsquo;re really fat&rsquo; . . . but &lsquo;maybe it is a time we all started eating a bit healthier&rsquo;.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
	It&rsquo;s not just about food</p>
<p>
	Too often it is all about food and there isn&rsquo;t enough emphasis on exercise, which boosts self-esteem and motivation and has a knock-on effect, she points out.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;Often when kids are overweight they don&rsquo;t like to get into the gear, so parents should think of going out and exercising with them,&rdquo; she suggests.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;It&rsquo;s breaking my heart that there are 13- and 14-year-olds coming into me and they adore ballet and dance and they&rsquo;re giving it up because they don&rsquo;t want to wear a leotard. That is because they are all comparing themselves and with other images.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
	<a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/parenting/pressure-in-social-media-always-to-be-camera-ready-1.2114310">http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/parenting/pressure-in-social-media-always-to-be-camera-ready-1.2114310</a></p>
