Children as young as eight should be taught about self-esteem in a bid to stop them developing eating disorders, a charity said. Young people need to learn emotional resilience and tactics for dealing with images of the “perfect body” in the media, according to Beat. It said in a statement: “We are calling for a curriculum that promotes positive self-esteem in young children which will help them understand that we come in all shapes and sizes. If we can’t promote positive self-esteem for children in primary school then how can we expect to create a generation of healthy and resilient young people?” The manifesto comes as the charity released a poll which found that eight out of 10 people with an eating disorder have suffered discrimination or stigma.

This includes bullying at school and in the workplace, or employment prospects being damaged after disclosure of an eating disorder.