Your teen’s body image is not about the shape of their body, but rather, how they VIEW the shape of their body. How a teen perceives the way they look has a powerful influence on their life and self-esteem. Adolescence is a stage in life where teens begin to care a lot about how others view them, and your child’s peers and social media play a big role in how they look at themselves.

While body image has generally been considered a “girl issue,” pediatricians have been sounding the alarm for years about adolescent boys who take unhealthy measures to try to achieve movie star bodies. By the time boys are between 8 and 10 years old, they are idolizing Marvel action heroes with bulging, oversized muscles and rock-hard abs. By adolescence, they’re deluged with social media streams of bulked-up male bodies. While our culture tells our teen girls that the perfect female body is very thin, it simultaneously tells our teen boys that the perfect male body has bulked up muscles.

Whether it is long hours in the gym, allowances blown on expensive supplements or protein shakes, or even risky experiments with illegal steroids, the price American boys are willing to pay for the perfect body appears to be on the rise. More than half of boys in middle school and high school said they have engaged in muscle-enhancing behaviors including dietary changes, exercise and weightlifting, supplement use, performance-enhancing substances, and anabolic steroids.

The problem is that some of their efforts are dangerous, and ironically some may actually stunt their development. For example, some boys go on very restrictive diets or work out for hours. When the body is in starvation mode because of too much exercise and/or inadequate nutrition, hormone production slows down, which includes testosterone, the hormone critical for muscle building.

In this article, we will explore the signs of body image problems in adolescent boys, the methods teen boys use to bulk up, the dangers these methods present, and how parents can help improve their teens’ body image.

Signs of Poor Body Image in Boys

• Marked change in physical routines, such as going from working out once a day to spending hours working out every day.
• Following regimented workouts or meals, including limiting the foods he is eating or concentrating heavily on high-protein options.
• Disrupting normal activities, such as spending time with friends, to work out instead.
• Obsessively taking photos of his muscles or abdomen to track “improvement.”
• Weighing himself multiple times a day.
• Dressing to highlight a more muscular physique, or wearing baggier clothes to hide a physique he doesn’t consider good enough.
• Exercise is causing more worry or preoccupation than satisfaction.
• Drinking more than one protein shake per day.

Methods Boys Use to “Bulk Up” and their Dangers

Unfortunately, so many of the methods middle and high school boys are using to achieve their ideal body image is damaging to their health.

• Excessive exercise. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends children and adolescents engage in 60 minutes per day of physical activity. As part of that, they suggest teens incorporate muscle-strengthening three to four days a week. Some boys take their exercise routines too far, lifting weights for long hours every day. Danger: Over-exercising poses a number of risks, including increased injury, hormonal imbalances, dehydration, and suppressed immune system.
• Restrictive diets. Teens may cut calories to lose weight. Others may try to jam pack protein in their diet since it is important in building muscle. Some boys also attempt to gain muscle through a “bulk and cut” regimen, with periods of rapid weight gain followed by periods of extreme calorie limitation. Danger: Bulk and cut regimens can affect long-term muscle and bone development and lead to irregular heartbeat and lower testosterone levels. Inadequate nutrition slows down hormone production including testosterone which is needed to build muscle.
• Supplements. Many teens resort to protein shakes or other supplements that advertise they will build muscle, encourage weight loss, improve sports performance, or help someone get in shape. Danger: It is rarely advised that teens take protein supplements. Too much protein intake can cause dehydration and puts pressure on the kidneys. Protein powders and other supplements are completely unregulated. Many of them are mixed with stimulants or even anabolic steroids. Some supplements increase risk of stroke, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, and liver injury.
• Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator (SARMs). Androgens are the sex hormones associated with things like muscle development, bone density, and sexual function. Androgens, such as testosterone, need to bind to certain receptors throughout your body. SARMs allow a rush of androgens into the receptors in your muscles and bones. Danger: SARMs are not approved by the FDA and have been associated with very major negative impacts across several vital organs in the body. Because SARMs aren’t allowed to be sold as supplements, you’ll see language on their package to the effect of “For research purposes only” or “Not for human consumption.” Problems related to using SARMs include psychosis, sleep disturbances, sexual dysfunction, aggression, liver damage and infertility.
• Steroids. Some boys resort to steroids to try to bulk up. Anabolic steroids are drugs made in a lab that mimic the naturally occurring male sex hormones called androgens. Similar to SARMs, anabolic steroids activate androgen receptors in your body which increases your muscles’ size and strength. Danger: Side effects include sleep apnea, high blood pressure, blood clots, heart issues and stroke, liver damage, stunted growth, aggression, mania, delusions, and depression.

How can parents encourage a healthy body image in boys?

These tips can help:

• Gather for family meals. Considerable research demonstrates that all children, including adolescents, experience substantial physical and mental health benefits from sitting down together for meals, including a greater likelihood of children being an appropriate weight for their body type.
• Don’t comment on body shape or size. Notice abilities, skills, talents, interests, and attitudes instead of physical attributes when talking about anyone, including your child.
• Role model good health. Avoid making common subtle, negative comments about your own body. Engage in a moderate amount of exercise. Eat a well-balanced diet with healthy food options.
• Give facts. Let teens know that the correct and safe way to build muscle is through a healthy diet with plenty of lean proteins and alternating cardio exercise with weight training. You might want to have your child’s pediatrician explain these facts as well.
• Frame nutrition and exercise as meaningful for health. When you talk with your son about what you eat or your exercise routine, don’t tie hoped-for results to body shape or size. Focus on how it makes you feel and/or how your health is improved.
• Communicate openly. Tell your children that there is no “perfect” body, and that all bodies are different and unique. Expose your children to stories and images of people you perceive are healthy role models, no matter what their body looks like. Additionally, discuss filters and photoshopping to explain that what they are seeing online may not be realistic. If your teen starts talking about bulking up, ask open-ended questions to find out their reasoning.
• Don’t buy protein supplements. It’s harder for boys to obtain supplements when parents won’t allow them in the house. Discuss the fact that many supplements are not safe.

Final thoughts…

A measured amount of exercise is positive and healthy, but it’s neither when body image turns into an obsession or exercise becomes excessive. Sometimes low self-esteem and body image problems are too much to handle alone. A few teens may become depressed, lose interest in activities or friends, develop an eating disorder, try to hurt themselves, or resort to alcohol or drug abuse. It is important to seek professional help if your teen seems to be having trouble with his or her body image or self-esteem or if you notice dramatic changes in your teen’s weight or eating habits.