More than half of young people say social media makes them feel dissatisfied with their bodies. BodyKind Online Education aims to be a part of the solution.
Today, on World Social Media Day, (30 June), Butterfly Foundation, Australia’s national charity for eating disorders and body image concerns, is reminding educators, schools and parents that help is at hand to tackle the growing crisis of social media and body image.
- More than half (57.2%) of young people aged 12-18 said social media made them feel dissatisfied with their body.
- Over 73% of young people ‘never’ or ‘rarely’ talk to someone when they’re feeling bad about their body or appearance.
- Over 74% reported never or rarely taking a break from social media because it was affecting how they felt about their bodies.
- With 9 in 10 students saying schools need to do more to support positive body image, Butterfly’s new eLearning program BodyKind Online Education is proven to improve social media literacy and self-compassion in secondary school students.
More than half of young people aged 12-18 report that social media makes them feel dissatisfied with their bodies, and 9 in 10 agree that secondary schools should do more to support positive body image[1].
While age restrictions are set to be in place by end the of 2025 through the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill, research from the eSafety Commissioner found that 80 per cent of 8- to 12-year-old children had used social media in 2024 [2], despite major platforms already having clear age restrictions already in place for people under 13.
Butterfly’s Director of Education Initiatives Danni Rowlands said this demonstrates that a critical part of the solution is to equip and arm young people with knowledge and skills that extends just beyond restricting social media use.
“Body image and the influence of social media is a complex issue, and we need to take a multifaceted, strength-based approach to better protect our young people. Harmful messaging, misinformation and inappropriate content and imagery will continue to exist and evolve both online and offline, posing ongoing risks,” she said.
“This World Social Media Day we are reminding educators, schools and parents that they play an important role in helping young people build their social media literacy skills so they can navigate online environments in a safe and positive way.”
Butterfly’s new eLearning program, BodyKind Online Education (BKOE) fills an important gap as it is the first evidence-informed, strength based, digital eLearning program developed specifically for Australian secondary schools that supports body image and online safety for young people, aged 12-16.
With two programs – one for students in Years 7 and 8, and one for students in Year 9 and 10- BKOE helps young people navigate appearance-based content and teasing, AI, misinformation, algorithms, online safety features, and beauty, body and health ideals.
Importantly, BKOE also strengthens critical thinking, self-compassion and help-seeking, which is vital considering more than 73 per cent of young people ‘never’ or ‘rarely’ talk to someone when they’re feeling bad about their body or appearance.
With body dissatisfaction being a key risk factor for the development of eating disorders, and social media creating unique pressures, lived experience advocate Varsha Yajman believes change is urgently needed.
“Social media exacerbated my eating disorder and continued to exacerbate it. I have to manually block out all the diet culture content, and it’s frightening how normalised it is,” she said.
“Young people urgently need more support to tackle these issues, with or without age restrictions in place, because harmful content does not stop once you turn 16”.
Pilot evaluations of BKOE were conducted by Sunshine Coast University in December 2024 and revealed statistically significant improvements in social media literacy. Students who completed the program reported improvements in being able to critically assess appearance-focused media messages, as well as improvements in social media behaviours, aspects of help-seeking and self-compassion.
BodyKind Online Education is available for all Australian secondary schools from Term 3. To find out more and register, visit www.butterfly.org.au/bko-edu
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Media Contact:
Zoe Bradbury – Butterfly Communications Manager
Ph: 0400 585 855
E: zoe.bradbury@butterfly.org.au
About Butterfly Foundation
Butterfly is the national charity for all Australians impacted by eating disorders and body image issues, and for the families, friends and communities who support them. Butterfly changes lives by providing innovative, evidence-based support services, treatment and resources, prevention and early intervention programs, and by advocating for the needs of our community.
Editor and producers note:
Please include the following support line details in all media coverage of this story and refer to the Mindframe Media Guidelines for safe reporting on eating disorders. Please include the following helpline message.
Help and Support
Anyone needing support with eating disorders or body image issues is encouraged to contact:
- Butterfly National Helpline on 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE) or visit www.butterfly.org.au to chat online or email, 7 days a week, 8am-midnight (AEST/AEDT).
- Eating Disorders Victoria Helpline on 1300 550 23
- For urgent support call Lifeline 13 11 14
References
[1] Butterfly Foundation, BodyKind Youth Survey 2024. https://butterfly.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/BKYS-2024-FINAL-REPORT.pdf
[2] eSafety Commissioner, Behind the screen: The reality of age assurance and social media access for young Australians. https://www.esafety.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-02/Behind-the-screen-transparency-report-Feb2025.pdf?v=1740006414535
