Lincolnshire project tackles impacts of social media on teenagers' body image

A Lincolnshire organisation has taken body positivity to the classroom by launching a new project to show how social media and unhealthy relationships with food can have negative impacts on young people.

The Food for Thought project, created by BeGreatFitness, has been developed in partnership with medical professionals, teachers, fitness coaches and support workers to highlight the impact poor eating habits and social media can have on individuals. 

It is funded by the My Grimsby Fund, which is a collaboration between Grimsby Town FC and My Energi.

The project, which is aimed at teenagers, provides schools with resource packs which focus on educating young people with knowledge and understanding of food, diet culture and social media, providing insight into the issues related to food, mood and cravings. 

Founder Bailey Greetham Clarke used his own experiences to help create Food for Thought.

He said: "Everything is fake these days. If we don’t understand it’s fake then we’re being brainwashed from a young age and we’re growing up to try and look like these people, think like these people and ultimately we’re causing a massive strain on the mental health of young people.

"The Food for Thought campaign is focused on educating young teens about the importance of positive relationships with their bodies.

"We know that this is a crucial issue for many young people and we are committed to providing resources and support to help them build healthy, positive habits when it comes to body image and self-esteem."

Sessions are being held across the county, with the first taking place at Newark College today.

The group of students involved would normally be training to become pilots and engineers but instead they learnt about how to have a healthier relationship with food and themselves. 

Emily Evans, student, said: "You see some girls and they’re really pretty but they edit their faces so much they don’t look the same. They feel like they have to because everyone else is doing it and it’s now the new normality."

More information and support for any of the issues highlighted can be on the BeGreatFitness website.