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Talking Point Are young people too obsessed with their body image?

1 min read Youth Work
Many young people feel pressure to look a certain way, which can be seriously damaging to their health. Start a discussion with your youth group about attitudes to body image.

At a Welsh Assembly health committee meeting last month, members heard from the mother of 14-year-old Kirsty McRae, who was left with severe burns and needing oxygen after spending 19 minutes on a coin-operated sunbed.

The harrowing example and an escalating interest in sunbeds among young people has prompted the Welsh government to consider a sunbed ban for under-18s.

Consider using Kirsty's case and the debate around sunbed use to spark a wider discussion about body image and self-esteem. Are young people too obsessed with how they look?

John Poyton, director of youth charity RedThread, suggests starting a discussion with the simple question: what is normal?

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