AS families get used to the school break and summer weather, thoughts will be turning to holidays.

For a lot of young people, this may lead to worries about being 'beach-body ready'. Last year, the NSPCC's Childline service delivered more than 4,000 counselling sessions to young people worried about body image or eating disorders. The highest number of contacts came in August, and new data suggests most counselling sessions about these problems were to girls.

Contacts through Childline phoneline and online chats peaked in August, when children aren't in school and often spend more time outside or on social media. Further data from a survey of children by the NHS in 2023, showed 27.9 per cent of 11 to 16-year-olds thought they were fat when others said they were thin an increase of about five per cent from 2017.

The summer holidays can be a difficult time for young people struggling with body image, and counsellors are hearing from children who feel under pressure or look a certain way, lose weight or wear more revealing clothing. One 17-year-old girl told Childline: "I constantly list things I hate about my looks. I look at other girls at school and on social media and envy them. No-one's ever called me pretty other than my girlfriends and my mum. I've heard dudes mock me in class which makes me feel like I really am ugly and it's not just in my head." Others said they didn't know how to manage weight or fitness without going to extremes, some children said they wanted to make cosmetic and surgical changes to their body, while others had cancelled plans or avoided social situations due to body image issues.

We believe part of the spike in contacts over summer could also be due to young people seeing more content online or on TV and in magazines during this period, which could exacerbate any negative body image issues.

If you're worried that a child in your life is struggling with body image or an eating disorder, there are ways you can support them. Remind them that how they look is only part of who they are and that their personality, achievements and the way they behave is important too. Help them understand that the pictures they see on TV, in magazines, in social media or online are often altered to offer flawless or images. Instead of comparing themselves to others, try noticing things they're happy and unhappy about and accept that these are things that make them unique. Focusing on a hobby or something they enjoy could help to build confidence, and a few minutes each morning to write down things they like about themselves. Small things like this can improve a young person's wellbeing.

* Children can speak to one of our counsellors on 0800 1111 or at childline.org.uk