A controversial plan by Weight Watchers to offer free memberships to teenagers, which will soon be launched in New Zealand, has sparked global outrage.
The new programme for teenagers will be launched in the middle of the year and 13 to 17-year-olds will be able to join for free, for a limited time, with parental consent.
The move has prompted backlash overseas, with a the hashtag 'WakeUpWeightWatchers' gaining traction.
Kiwi Instagrammer, 22-year-old Riley Hemson, famous on the social media app for promoting a healthy lifestyle, battled with her body as a teenager and questions whether Weight Watcher should be targetting teens.
"Speaking from experience, I just think that if anything is going to be based on weight, it's a no no from me."
Her message for young Kiwis is a simple one: "Just love your body, you've got one for your whole life."
"It seems like a totally unethical business to then extend that to a group of people, I think the ages of 13 to 17, they're suggesting, who are really vulnerable in terms of their body images," Health Expert Dr Andrew Dickson told 1NEWS.
While dieting and eating disorders shouldn't be confused, those working in the field say the programme poses a threat.
"This is the weight loss industry attempting to profit off teen vulnerability. Experts tell us that eating disorders are often precipitated by a period of restriction," says Eating Disorders Association of NZ Chair, Nicki Wilson.
In a statement Weight Watchers said their goal: "Is to help those who need health habits to develop them at this critical life-stage: this is not about dieting."
"This move by Weight Watchers is the equivalent of the cigarette industry providing cigarettes to young people and kickstarting an addiction to smoking at a young age," says Ms Wilson.
SHARE ME