There is a range of games available on iPhones and Android devices targeting very young girls with bright colors and fairytale characters. This nothing new. You look at the “”Tinkerbell”” looking game and walk away thinking your daughter is playing a cute fairy princess game. It may not be the harmless game you think it is. There is a growing list of games aimed at children, as young as three, teaching them to critique their bodies and appearance through “dangerous” cosmetic surgery apps.

Google Play’s Plastic Surgery Simulator, for example, promises to turn you “into a Victoria’s Secret model at once.” They allow kids to perform serious cosmetic procedures including rhinoplasty, liposuction, eyelid surgery and cosmetic injections on a cartoon character. The game’s description reads, “No one could resist the temptation of beauty! Every girl dreams of a delicate face and stunning figure. If makeup can’t give the beauty you want, then come to join this amazing plastic surgery game! You can turn into a Victoria’s Secret model at once!”

Psychologist and director of BodyMatters Australasia, Sarah McMahon, said, “Being exposed to these sorts of apps grooms kids to trivialize cosmetic surgery. They are growing up critiquing their bodies and seeing a very narrow idea of what beauty actually is. We are living in a society where body image continues to be an increasing issue of concern.””

Body image perception is a real concern for both male and female young people, especially female teens and young adults. Sadly, nine in ten teenage girls say they are unhappy with their bodies. With 200 million active monthly users on Instagram, who are uploading 60 million new pictures daily, young people have seemingly endless opportunities to be drawn into appearance-based comparisons with others online. One study also found that after spending time on Facebook, girls expressed a heightened desire to c ...