Queensland schools caught weighing, ranking students in ‘harmful’ experiments

Primary school children are being weighed and their kilos openly ranked from lightest to heaviest in classroom activities that have shocked body image and eating disorder organisations. HAVE YOUR SAY

Primary schoolchildren are being weighed and their kilos openly ranked from lightest to heaviest in classroom activities that have shocked the Butterfly Foundation.

The organisation has received complaints of the alarming lessons and warns there are increasing reports that children in Grade 4 are developing body image problems.

Dr Stephanie Damiano from the Butterfly Body Bright program said the nature of inquiries from schools has drastically changed of late.

“More school staff are becoming aware of students being dissatisfied with their bodies and engaging in disordered eating behaviours in primary school and are seeking support to help the students and peers,” she said

“We’re increasingly hearing reports of students expressing low self-esteem, not eating at school or who are uncomfortable doing so in front of others, students overeating and under-eating and expressing a desire to count calories and diet from a young age,” Dr Damiano. said.

The demand for school body image sessions for Years 5-6 from Butterfly, Australia’s national foundation for eating disorders and body image, has more than doubled over the last two years.

Queensland primary schools are being encouraged to register for free to Butterfly Body Bright, funded by the Federal government. The program is the country’s only dedicated school body image course.

The call-out by Butterfly has been sparked by a complaint that a teacher brought scales to a primary school classroom, weighed the students and then wrote their weights and names on the board, ranking the students from lightest to heaviest.

“Unfortunately, against the backdrop of increased body dissatisfaction in younger students, we continue to be aware of potentially harmful activities and conversations taking place in the classroom, which recently included an emphasis on children’s weight,” Dr Damiano said.

“Activities of this kind have the potential to increase a child’s risk of body dissatisfaction, preoccupation with body weight and shape, anxiety, restrictive diets, cycles of restriction and binge eating, and overall poor self-esteem, often lasting long into adulthood.

“There are many things that can be measured and weighed in a classroom but a child’s body should not be one of them.”

Butterfly Body Bright launched in July 2021 and is currently active in over 300 Australian primary schools.

Call the Butterfly National Helpline on 1800 33 4673

Originally published as Queensland schools caught weighing, ranking students in ‘harmful’ experiments