"Teens Skipping Diets Say 'I Want to Get Thinner'... Concerns Over Health Deterioration"

8 out of 10 Teenagers "Attempt Dieting"
Parents Sigh Over Children's Extreme Diets
Experts Say "Society's Emphasis on Appearance Influences"

The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. Photo by Yonhap News.

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] # Jung Mo (38), a mother of a third-grade elementary school daughter, is worried about her daughter who recently started dieting. Jung's daughter has been replacing meals with sweet potatoes and skipping dinner in an effort to lose weight. Jung said, "My daughter is in a critical growth period and is not even chubby, but she keeps trying to lose weight," adding, "Recently, she asked me to buy diet pills. I don't plan to buy them for her health, but I don't know how to handle it if she keeps insisting."

Recently, there has been an increase in adolescents attempting excessive weight loss, raising health concerns. Excessive dieting during growth periods can weaken immunity or cause health problems. However, many teenagers consider themselves 'overweight' and even share their dieting journeys on YouTube. This means that harmful extreme dieting is spreading among teenagers. Experts analyze that the social atmosphere emphasizing appearance has influenced this trend.

Jeon Mo (15), a third-year middle school student, said, "When I look in the mirror, my legs look too thick, so I feel stressed. Summer is coming, so I need to lose weight quickly," adding, "I mainly control my diet and do yoga and Pilates for exercise."

He continued, "I'm dieting not to show off to others but for self-satisfaction," and added, "I'm currently 160cm tall and weigh 50kg, but my goal is to reduce my weight to 43kg."

According to a survey, 8 out of 10 teenagers have tried dieting. A survey conducted by Smart School Uniform in 2017 targeting a total of 10,939 elementary, middle, and high school students showed that 80.4% of respondents had tried dieting. Among them, 47.4% started dieting in middle school, and 45.4% began in elementary school. In other words, 92.8% of students tried dieting before high school. Additionally, more than half of the respondents considered themselves 'overweight.'

Photo by YouTube screen capture

Content related to 'teen dieting' is also popular on YouTube. Some elementary school students upload videos themselves with titles such as 'Diet Review of a 5th Grade Elementary Student,' 'My Diet Story Losing 20kg,' and '2008-born Diet Vlog.'

Comments on these videos include, "I'm in 5th grade and weigh 54kg. I've spent 1 million won on dieting," and "I'm now in 5th grade, 160cm tall, and weigh 56kg. My goal is 48kg."

Parents watching this are deeply concerned. They worry that excessive dieting during growth periods could harm their children's health. Kim Mo (43), who has a second-year middle school daughter, said, "My daughter says none of her friends are overweight. Our daughter isn't chubby either, but kids these days are so thin that she feels stressed," adding, "Our daughter wants to take herbal diet medicine, but I'm worried about possible side effects. I hope she doesn't get too stressed during her growth period."

Some female adolescents have attempted extreme dieting methods such as taking laxatives. According to a Ministry of Health and Welfare survey, as of 2017, 23% of teenage girls who tried to lose weight had used laxatives or induced vomiting after meals.

Experts analyze that the social atmosphere emphasizing appearance has influenced teenagers. Professor Kwak Geumju of Seoul National University's Department of Psychology said, "Young and slim celebrities appear frequently in various media, leading to a societal trend where appearance has become important."

She added, "Compared to other countries, our society is more sensitive to others' gazes. Especially teenagers are at the most sensitive age regarding appearance. Teenagers have low confidence in their looks and compare themselves to others, which leads them to continuously focus on their appearance."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.