People are voicing their concerns over reports of new plans to weigh children in schools from September, in a bid to improve their health following a spike in obesity.
The Independent has reported that schools may well be encouraged to regularly weigh students up and down the UK, amid fears that the Covid-19 lockdown has had a negative impact on their bodies.
Dubbed the National Child Measurement Programme, the scheme was meant to be rolled out before lockdown one, but didn't go ahead because of lockdown.
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The idea is that the regular weigh ins will help schools alert parents if their child is at risk of developing issues with their weight.
However, since it emerged that the weigh ins were proposed to be returning, people begun to share their scarring experiences of going through similar when they were a child.
"Knot in my stomach remembering when we got weighed at school. All that fuss and condescension and shame. My parents getting a special letter that I was fat like.... Girl I live with them. They do know," said one person on Twitter after reading of the news.
Meanwhile, another reflected on a similar painful scenario which they had to go through.
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"I keep thinking about how the government want to weigh children in schools and it's making me so upset I could cry," she said.
"Being weighed in Year 6 was possibly one of the most traumatic things that happened in my entire school life and it had a lasting negative impact on my own body image and attitude towards weight.
"I also know that several of my friends were affected in the same way by this. The government might think they're saving money by tackling obesity but they'll just have to spend whatever they save on tackling an awful increase in mental health issues".
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A third was similarly distressed, writing: "How are we all not deeply ashamed that we live in a country where the government cares more about weighing primary school kids than feeding them".
Meanwhile, a fourth, who worked in a school, sarcastically penned: "The school I work at serves burgers and chips at lunch. But sure let's weigh them, that'll solve it..."
A fellow mum told her followers: "I asked my nine year old this morning how she felt about the idea of 'weigh-ins' at primary school, and she was adamant: 'I wouldn't like it,' she said, shaking her head. 'It would be embarrassing. It'd make you feel like you were doing something wrong.'"
As Mail On Sunday columnist and NHS doctor Ellie Cannon had similar thoughts, explaining: "If we are going to weigh children at school, we better be super funding eating disorder clinics and obesity services, as it's a sure fire way to worsen both issues.
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"This is a flag waving, utterly pointless, harmful measure. But kids eh? They're resilient right".
Speaking to the Independent, Tam Fry, the chair of the National Obesity Forum, said of the new plans: "We expect the figures will have gone up and we expect the results, when we get them, to be a real jolt to Boris Johnson.
"We have got to do something very serious about this problem. We cannot wait to the end of Covid. I am absolutely delighted that the [NCMP] is coming back."
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He added that despite experts not being able to put a figure on how much weight children had put on since March last year, it was expected to be high.
The scheme resumed in select schools towards the end of last year, and was meant to be back in full this January - a date which was delayed as a result of the pandemic.
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