Teaching them a BodyKind lesson: Majority of Aussie students report being teased about their appearance

30 July 2024

This International Friendship Day, Butterfly Foundation is calling on schools to teach students to be BodyKind, as 77% of 12–to18-year-olds report appearance teasing at school. 

• 77% of young people in Australia aged 12-18 report being teased about their appearance at school. 

• A quarter of young people admit they have teased, or commented negatively on, someone else’s body or appearance. 

• 89% of young people want schools to do more to stop body image bullying. 

For the second year in a row, Butterfly’s BodyKind Youth Survey has revealed that the majority of 12-to 18-year-olds in Australia have experienced teasing about how they look, with 77% reporting being teased or receiving negative comments about their appearance at school and a quarter of young people admitting they have teased someone else. Given this alarming level of teasing happening within school gates, it’s not surprising that nine in ten young people (89%) are calling on schools to do more to stop it. 

Butterfly’s latest research also shows how commonplace appearance teasing has become, with almost 40% of 12- to18-year-olds saying they had been teased in the last month, and uncovers the most impacted groups, with non-binary young people (90%) and young females (80%) reporting the highest levels of appearance teasing. Interestingly, social media was the third most likely location for young people to be teased for their looks, with school and home ranking highest.   

Butterfly is raising the alarm about this widespread schoolyard appearance teasing as it is a key risk factor for body dissatisfaction, which is reported by over half (57%) of young Australians and has stopped 47% from raising their hand in class, focusing on schoolwork and going to school. Crucially, without the right support and education, a young person’s body dissatisfaction can lead to the development of disordered eating and eating disorders.  

Hanna Patricia, age 28, from Sydney, experienced bullying about her appearance and weight in both primary school and high school, which led to her developing eating disorders. She says, “The constant negative comments continually allowed my thoughts to believe that my self-worth was tied to my appearance. Going home after a school day I would be left with a wave of heaviness. The desire to be accepted and the fear of continued bullying drove me to unhealthy coping mechanisms and extreme measures, ultimately harming my health and well-being. Body shaming and bullying wasn’t discussed very often or taken seriously when I was at school – if there had been more support and education, I believe the outcome may have been different.” 

This International Friendship Day, Butterfly is encouraging schools to commit to improving widespread appearance teasing and body image awareness and education for young people by registering for Butterfly’s free annual BodyKind Schools initiative. 

Helen Bird, from Butterfly’s Prevention Services team says, “It’s devastating to see the high prevalence of appearance-related bullying and teasing, and we hope by sharing these results it will encourage schools to listen to their students who are calling out for more body image support. We know that encouraging young people to be kind to their own body and others can have a positive impact on all aspects of their lives, enabling them to be all they can be and improve their relationship with their body now and into adulthood.”  

Butterfly’s BodyKind Schools is part of BodyKind September – Australia’s largest annual, free positive body image awareness and education initiative to support young people aged 12-18 to be kind to their own bodies and to others, face to face and online. The BodyKind Schools program provides new resources, activities and live virtual events each year that take a strength-based approach to topics such as appearance teasing, appearance talk and social media. Schools can participate at the time that suits them, either during September or at another time during the school terms.   

BodyKind September also includes BodyKind Families and BodyKind Clubs with the aim of fostering positive body image environments in schools, homes and sporting environments, so young people can thrive in the body they have.  

For more information and to register now, visit BodyKind Schools. 

For free BodyKind resources for families and sports clubs, visit https://butterfly.org.au/get-involved/campaigns/bodykind/  

-ENDS- 

Media Contacts  

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. 

About the research 

Released by Butterfly Foundation  

Overview: The BodyKind Youth Survey research was conducted by Butterfly Foundation with N=2942 young Australians aged between 12 – 18 years old, through a self-completed ethics approved national online survey. This research took place in September – November 2023. The findings were first released to the public in May 2024. 

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.  

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 support@butterfly.org.au    

• Eating Disorders Victoria Helpline on 1300 550 23  

• For urgent support call Lifeline 13 11 14