Expert resources for parents and mentors to help raise young people’s self-esteem
The evidenced-based resources on this site have been specifically designed to encourage young people to develop and maintain a healthy body image during the transition to adulthood.
In a world that constantly tells young people how they should look and has a narrow definition of “beautiful,” how can we help them value their unique beauty and stay true to themselves?
Working with experts from the fields of psychology, health, and media, the Dove Self-Esteem Project has developed a range of resources—including videos, activities, case studies, and professional advice—to help guide parents and teenagers.
As well as helping you understand how your child is feeling, our materials will help you counter the negative influence of the media and bullying on young people’s body image.
Research shows that spending just 30 minutes engaging with the resources on this site will empower you to boost the self-esteem and mood of the young person you love—and improve your own body image, too. So what are you waiting for?
-
Family, Friends & RelationshipsArticles and activities to help parents communicate with children & offer support with friendship problems, sibling relationships, and body imageIn this section6 articles -
Respecting & Looking After YourselfArticles, activities, and relationship advice for parents to help their teenage child overcome low self-esteem and build body confidence during the stages of pubertyIn this section6 articles -
Teasing & BullyingInformation on bullying and different types of bullying, such as bullying in school and cyberbullying, including why bullies bully and how to help stop bullyingIn this section7 articles1 resources -
Media & CelebritiesAdvice for parents on how the media, advertising, and celebrity role models influence young people’s body image and self-confidenceIn this section6 articles -
Talking About AppearanceDiscover how appearance affects self-esteem, and help your teenager deal with the effects of social media, peer pressure, media ideals, fat talk, and moreIn this section6 articles
-
You may never have been a girl yourself, but that shouldn’t be a barrier to father-daughter bonding. You want your daughter to grow into a self-confident young woman—and she’s going to need her dad on her side.
-
Life can feel lonely for teenagers. Have you considered writing a message of support to your child about being a teenager? Sharing your own experiences, words of wisdom, and encouragement can help you empathize with them and improve your conversations.
-
Convincing kids that it’s worth devoting time and effort to schoolwork can be a major source of tension. Here, a mother, Jennifer, and her daughters, Emily and Samantha*, give their views on a typical mother-daughter struggle over homework—showing how understanding other people’s points of view in family disputes can reduce anger and upset on all sides.
-
![Communicating with teens]()
parenting
mother-daughter relationships
positive talk
talking topics
psychology
behavior change
parent
11 to 16 years
The Parent Translator: A Tool To Tackle Communication SkillsHow to improve your listening skills and verbal communication to talk effectively to your child & overcome teenage communication problems.Communicating with your child should be easy. But miscommunication is easier. You make a simple comment about what they’re wearing and they storm off, slamming the door. You ask what they had for lunch and they assume it’s an attack about their diet. While you’re just trying to show how much you care about them, their reactions suggest you’re speaking a different language.
-
parenting
mother-daughter relationships
positive talk
talking topics
emotions and behavior
parent
11 to 16 years
What Is Active Listening And How Can It Help You Communicate with Your Child?Discover the secrets of active listening, and learn how to talk so teens will listen, to improve communication with your young adult.Communicating with teens about the problems they're facing can be difficult – it’s all too easy to say, “You’ll get over it.” But being dismissive can discourage them from expressing their feelings.
-
![Uniquely Me resources for parents]()
-
![Teenagers and friendships]()
What’s going on between your daughter and her friends? What are they texting and messaging each other about? To get the inside story, we talked to girls around the world about what’s most important to them: their friends.
-
talking topics
social media safety
body image
self comparison
looks and appearance
self-esteem
parent
8 to 14 years
Positive Body Confidence: How Social Media Can Affect Body ImageWhy do young people love social media? And could their use of it cause body confidence issues? Advice on minimising the negative impacts of social media.In the dazzling world of social media, today’s youth are often living their lives in full view of an online audience. For those from a different generation, the idea of “checking in” online or sharing a selfie to let people know where you are and what you’re up to might seem bizarre. But for young people today, getting “likes” on photos, posts, or comments in the virtual world can bring a powerful sense of accomplishment and community acceptance.
-
talking topics
body image
personal style
looks and appearance
emotions and behavior
parent
8 to 16 years
Cracking Compliments: Teach Your Child How To Take A ComplimentUse our Cracking Compliments video and tips to help your child learn how respond to compliments—and how to give compliments that aren’t appearance-focused.Giving your child a compliment should be simple, but some young people have a tendency to take things the wrong way. To help your child understand when someone is genuinely admiring or praising them, share our Cracking Compliments video and action checklist with them.
