5 Things You Don't Realize Are Negatively Impacting Your Teen's Body Image

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1. Social Media

Social media is not a surprising one. If you have read research on the effects of social media, it is extremely harmful to our teens’ mental health.

Social media leads to comparison. Teens compare themselves to the pictures, lives, and accomplishments of others and quickly deem themselves falling short. Then, factor in the ads that are being thrown their way of perfect bodies. Bodies that have been photoshopped or are AI. The images are not normal or attainable and don’t accurately display the unique struggles teens deal with, such as their acne or maturing bodies.

Keep in mind that what people post on social media is their best selves. It’s their bucket list trip, the party they went to, their favorite picture of themself. You can quickly get discouraged when you scroll through and see everyone living their best life, even though logically you know it’s not a whole picture of their life.

The United States Surgeon General released an advisory in 2023 regarding social media. They state, “adolescents who spend more than three hours per day on social media faced double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes, including symptoms of depression and anxiety.”

This advisory acknowledges that this medium has the potential to harm the mental health of kids and change parts of their brains related to emotions and learning. It can impact their ability to exhibit self-control, regulate their behavior, and respond emotionally to punishments and rewards.

The studies saw a connection between social media use and issues with mental health. They also reported a connection between social media use and changing eating behaviors, poor sleep quality, anxiety, and low self-esteem. The list goes on, and the negatives hugely outweigh the positives.

2. Music

Music might fly under the radar for some parents. You might not realize the impact it has on our kids. The Bible tells us to guard our hearts and minds. “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8)

The lyrics of songs penetrate our hearts and minds. If our kids are listening to words that demean the female body or praise boys for taking advantage of girls in a sexual way, the repeated phrases will desensitize them. They will start to believe these things are “normal.” They will be slowly conditioned to think that the topics in the songs are permissible, even though they go against the Bible.

Sean Combs, A.K.A. Puff Daddy, was on stage at an award show and looked into the camera and said, “I own your kids. I own their souls. I determine what they wear. I determine what they listen to.” It's horrifying that a celebrity thinks he owns our kids’ souls. It’s even scarier because it’s partially true. Teens revere these celebrities, and they have a huge impact on their purchasing behavior and so much more.

If you don’t think the music your kids are listening to has a direct impact on their thoughts and behaviors, please re-evaluate. Everything we take in impacts us. If you want your daughter and son to have a healthy view of their body and the opposite sex, don’t let them listen to songs that degrade and devalue their body image.

3. Culture

Culture, fashion trends, and beauty products all have an impact on your child’s body image. Let’s be clear. Culture is not for Jesus! Just like when Jesus walked the earth, He was hated for no reason. “They hated me without reason.” (John 15:25)

Jesus was the only perfect human who ever walked on this earth, and he was tortured, ridiculed, and murdered. A perfect human who never did anything wrong was treated poorly by the culture.

Here is the hard reality: the world hated Jesus, and it will hate us if we are following Him. “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” John 15:18

If your teens constantly absorb fashion trends where girls are immodestly dressed, of course, they are going to desire to copy them. When they see seductive poses in ads while shopping for new clothes, they will normalize these images and potentially replicate these postures.

The culture does not teach our teens that their bodies should be valued, that they are gifts from our Heavenly Father. They push an immodest image. The culture is not worried about your child’s self-esteem and relationship with their body. They are concerned with selling products. It’s all about money.

You must protect your kids’ eyes and what they observe as much as you can. We must teach them the truth of the Bible, that they are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). We must teach them that their body is special and that displaying modesty, taking care of their body, and appreciating the amazing gift God gave us with our bodies are ways we can glorify Him.

4. Negative Self-Talk (the Enemy)

There is nothing Satan loves more than convincing your teenager that they are not valued the way God tells us in the Bible. He is attacking our kids and their minds with his lies; that’s what he does. He is the ultimate liar, and teens are easy prey.

Being a teen is hard enough. They are struggling to adjust to their changing bodies, and their brains are developing at an accelerated rate. Girls are dealing with menstrual cycles and hormones that send them into tears over the smallest thing. Boys are adjusting to increased testosterone and lots of temptation.

Satan knows these kids are vulnerable. They are prime for the taking. He can fill them with lies about their bodies, and they believe him. Teens are already naturally questioning themselves. They are trying to fit in and figure out who they are and what they want to do. They have decisions to make regarding their future that feel seismic.

There is no better time to go after the souls of our kids than when they are teenagers. Small children are very trusting of their parents. Adults may wonder on occasion and will have seasons of questioning their faith and purpose, but their brains are more developed and can hopefully use logic to combat the lies from the enemy.

Our teens desperately need our prayers and to be constantly reminded of the truth. They need us pouring Scripture into their minds and hearts.

5. Parents or Caregivers

This last one is tough to hear. We, their parents, impact their body image. The way we respond to their comments, the way we discuss food and exercise, and how we model wearing clothes. These all have an impact on our teens' body image.

Having a healthy relationship with food and teaching our kids that food fuels our bodies is important. If we shame ourselves every time we eat treats, or overindulge and make comments like, “I’m fat,” or “I shouldn’t have eaten those cookies, they will make me fat.” Our kids hear our comments. We are their role model.

We must teach our kids how to make healthy food choices because it gives our bodies what they need to function properly. If you have struggled with your relationship with food, you will need to be cautious about what you teach your kids. Work hard to overcome your challenges so you can help your children have a healthy relationship with food.

Are we modeling exercise and understanding its critical importance to our body’s health and mental well-being? Ensuring our kids are getting a healthy dose of exercise can be critical for our teenagers. We all need exercise and time outside to detox from the constant technology. Exhibit these healthy habits so your teenagers understand the importance.

Are the clothes we wear teaching our kids how to respect their bodies? Our bodies are a temple made by our Creator. We show respect for Him when we take care of our bodies and display modesty. 1 Timothy 2:9 says, “I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold pearls or expensive clothes.”

I’m not saying you can’t dress nicely or have jewelry, I’m just stating that your kids are watching. If hair, makeup, or clothes are among your vices, know that your teens are absorbing everything.

Your teens will eventually develop a belief about their body image. It is up to us to make sure it’s filled with biblical truth and not lies. We must talk to our children about how God created us and how to take care of His temple.

The amazing thing is God left us with a helper, the Holy Spirit. He didn’t leave us in this crazy world alone. The Holy Spirit dwells within us. This is remarkable!!!! It’s important to understand this so kids understand why we need to take care of our bodies.

He made us with one purpose: to glorify Him in all we do. Being aware of the negative influences around your teens so you can help provide a healthy path for them.

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