Yes, I think there needs to be general awareness, as well as school-based programs. Some things that this can look like is more government recognition, and supporting the activists, advocates, and non-profits working on these issues. In terms of what school-based programs or education could look like, the research shows that media literacy interventions need to be long term. They need to start early, and they need to focus on critical thinking, questioning and discussions. It's not just, like I said, delivering one-way information or showing a video.
In the U.K., a program is being run called Happy Being Me, which is a school-based program targeting kids 10 and 11 years of age. It targets both girls and boys and looks at known risk factors for negative body image. It promotes self-esteem. Researchers have assessed participants pre, post, and three months after the program. They found that girls had significant positive change in body satisfaction, appearance-related conversation and comparison, eating behaviours, and knowledge of the topics that they were talking about. Boys also showed positive outcomes from that program.
There's also a program called Go Girls! that operated in the United States and which was studied in five states. It included 12 group meetings of an hour each, either in class or after school. The evaluation also found really promising results. Girls were reducing their internalizing thin ideals, had a reduced desire to be thin, and had increased self-acceptance and empowerment.