Don’t turn health lessons into self-harm instruction manuals, teachers warned

thetimes.co.uk - Nicola Woolcock Education Correspondent

Teachers have been told not to turn lessons on body image into an instruction manual on self-harm or anorexia.

Graphic images of scars, emaciated young women, or pumped-up bodybuilders should not be used to shock, government-backed guidance says.

Teenagers could see extreme pictures as an inspiration or goal to work towards, or validation that they do not have a problem because they are not that thin or scarred.

The advice, from the Personal Social Health and Economic Education (PSHE) Association, suggests not teaching children about eating disorders until 11, or self-harm until the age of 14, but experts say the