“My 14 year old son thinks he is ugly. I think he looks fine. What should I do?”

It is fairly common for a teen to have an exaggerated view of his or her own self-image. But how can a parent help their child if this happens to be the case? Society and social media put a lot of pressure on teens to look a certain way, which can make it very difficult to foster a healthy self-image. This week’s Tips on Teens answers a question from a mother concerned about how to help her son. Here’s the question:

“My 14 year old son thinks he is ugly. He hates taking photos and selfies, so there are almost no photos of him now. He doesn’t take care of himself, because he thinks that he is so ugly that nothing can help. I think he looks fine, but he always says I think so only because I am his mom. What should I do?”