When actress Kate Hudson revealed earlier this month that she wanted to be a positive role model for young women, one of the first things she did was emphasise the importance of a healthy body image.

Because for years the media has accused Kate of having an eating disorder due to the fact she has always been on the slim side, and in 2006 she even sued the National Enquirer after an article suggesting she was ‘painfully thin’ and suffering from anorexia.

Now she’s spoken out against negative coverage of body image issues, saying: “If there is one thing I will never have, it’s an eating disorder. “I won’t have girls — even if it’s just one or two who care — thinking that. Because it’s a serious sickness, not something to plaster on the cover of a magazine. I want girls to love themselves. I want them to feel good about who they are.”

Despite this, the influence of the media on the increasing amount of eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia nervosa is undeniable. The press bombards us with images and messages that reinforce the idea that to be happy and successful we must be thin. It’s hard to open a newspaper or magazine without being confronted with the message that to be fat is to be undesirable, and as a woman, weight is all we ever seem to talk about.

But when this kind of talk reaches the ears of children, it starts to get dangerous. When adolescents feel as though their breasts, weight or hips don’t match up to the perfect ones of celebrities, they feel flawed.

How desperately sad that even children of primary school age are now worrying about their weight. Many who are a completely average weight think they’re fat or are dissatisfied with their bodies. These extreme weight concerns can harm social, physical, and emotional growth in the future, not to mention self esteem issues.

But I believe the media needs to take responsibility for some of it. Not only do they glorify a slim ideal, they also emphasize its importance, and the importance of appearances in general.

When they do talk of eating disorders, it’s usually to ‘glamorise’ it by accusing a celebrity of having one. They’re quick to bandy the term about, not taking into account the seriousness of eating disorders, and the significant negative impact it can have on body satisfaction, weight concern, eating patterns, and the emotional well-being of women.

Many magazines give dieting advice without providing information about the dangers of extreme dieting, while others criticise the bodies of celebrities which in turn can make readers more dissatisfied with their own bodies.

How refreshing it would be if the media focused more on giving positive messages that can build self-esteem, and advocate more on the prevention and treatment for those who actually are suffering from eating disorders.

They are not a fad, phase or lifestyle choice – eating disorders are real, complex, and devastating conditions that can have serious and potentially life-threatening consequences.

Sadly, figures unveiled by The Independent on Sunday earlier this year, revealed the number of children and teenagers seeking help for eating disorders has risen by a shocking 11% in the past three years.

Even more shockingly, ChildLine says it received more than 10,500 calls and online enquiries from young people struggling with food and weight-related anxiety in a year – an increase they say could be attributed to several factors including the increased pressure caused by social media, the growth of celebrity culture, and the rise of anorexia websites.

The internet can be brilliant, but it can also be incredibly dangerous.

And the fact that social media operates 24/7 increases the pressure on children and influential young people.