How to Talk with Your Kids About GLP-1 Medications and Healthy Body Relationships

As GLP-1 medications become increasingly omnipresent, children and teenagers are noticing. They’re asking questions, forming interpretations, and absorbing messages about bodies and health, whether or not someone in their household has tried one.

This is uncharted territory for many parents, and we want to help equip you to have conversations with your kids that answer their questions while supporting a healthy relationship to food and their own bodies.

We convened Dr. Liza Mackintosh, Director of Pediatrics at Atria Los Angeles, Dr. Hina Talib, Director of Adolescent Medicine and Co-Director of Pediatrics at Atria New York, and clinical psychologist Marian Tanofsky-Kraff, PhD, an expert on weight and disordered eating, to talk through the changing science and offer practical suggestions for approaching these conversations.

Here are the takeaways:

Adolescence is a perfect storm for body image concerns

First, it’s important to bring care to the age and stage of your child when thinking about how to have healthy conversations about food and body image. Teens go through predictable phases of development that affect how they feel about their bodies. At different ages, parents should approach conversations with these unique developmental phases in mind.

Early adolescence (ages 10–13): At the beginning of puberty, kids experience rapid physical changes and often feel that everyone is watching and judging them. They need reassurance that their changing body is safe, beautiful, and normal.
Middle adolescence (ages 14–16): Young teens can be driven by comparison, in person and on social media, and can tend toward black-and-white thinking: foods are “good” or “bad,” bodies are “perfect” or “awful.” The prefrontal cortex, which governs nuance and judgment, is still developing. They need reminders and reassurance that it’s best to take a more nuanced approach.
Late adolescence (ages 17–21): Older teens and young adults often feel like their body is an extension of their resume, especially as they face the pressures of college or career. They can grasp complexity, but anxiety about the future can get redirected into controlling food and weight.

Language matters

Children are sponges for the language they hear at home. Whether or not you or another adult in the family are on a GLP-1, both Dr. Talib and Tanofsky-Kraff offered specific phrases to use and ones to step back from:

Shift from weight to well-being. Instead of announcing how many pounds you’ve lost, try: "I have so much more energy to play basketball in the driveway with you," or "My doctor and I have been working on getting my body's systems balanced, and I'm feeling a lot stronger."

Take the magic (and the secrecy) out of it. Dr. Talib suggests framing GLP-1 use simply: "I take a medicine that helps my stomach and my brain talk to each other better, so my body stays healthy. Just like grandma takes medicine for her blood pressure, this is what my body needs."

Refrain from good food/bad food binaries. Labeling foods as “clean” or “junk” can plant seeds of food guilt and anxiety. Instead of saying “I can’t eat that, I’m trying to be good,” try sharing what you are eating: “Today, I’m really craving this apple,” and frame it as balance: "We have all kinds of foods in our house. Some give us long-lasting energy, some are for joy—both have a place."

Normalize different appetites at the table. If you are taking a GLP-1 and your child notices you’re eating less, try: "My body is telling me it's full right now, so I'm listening to it. All of our bodies need different things at different times, on different days; I'm just happy to be sharing this time together."

Remember: family mealtimes don’t have to be just about the food. Even if your appetite changes, the connection and time together at the table is what matters most. Keep up the routine and make sure your child is still getting the nutrients they need.
If you say something you wish you hadn’t, remember that repair is possible. If you catch yourself criticizing your body or eating habits in the moment, try: “That wasn’t a very nice thing to say about myself.” The same applies if you made a negative comment about someone else’s body. You can always revisit conversations later on, too: “I made a mistake” is one of the most powerful phrases a parent can model. It teaches kids that mistakes are safe to make and safe to acknowledge.

The science has changed—and so should the conversation

Tanofsky-Kraff says the old framing of obesity as a failure of willpower is not only outdated, it is stigmatizing and scientifically incorrect. We now understand that body weight is heavily influenced by genetics, environment, stress, and biology—and that for many conditions, behavioral changes alone won’t move the needle. GLP-1 medications are more accurately described as obesity treatment or metabolic treatment than as weight loss drugs, and using that framing can help your children to understand this.

It’s also worth noting that many adults take GLP-1 medications for reasons unrelated to weight, including blood sugar regulation, cardiovascular health, and insulin sensitivity. When this is the case, it is best to state that directly when your child asks.

Genetics is a blueprint, not destiny

Many parents worry that sharing family health history will feel like a verdict to their teen. Dr. Talib offers this reframe: “Genetics is like the blueprint of a house. It gives us a starting plan, but we get to choose how we decorate, how we take care of it, and how we live inside it.”

Rather than saying “Our family has a history of diabetes,” try: “Our family has a history of taking great care of our bodies—and medicines can be an important part of that.”

Social media has always been a challenging place for teens and body image. Dr. Talib is especially concerned about young people encountering direct-to-consumer GLP-1 marketing online and accessing these medications without the comprehensive, compassionate clinical care that should accompany them.

Her advice is to counter what teens are seeing on their screens with science and honesty, not shame. Make social media itself a dinner table conversation. Explain how algorithms work and what they’re designed to do.

When to ask for help

Body image concerns are developmentally normal for teens—and seeking professional support for even typical but tricky body anxiety is worthwhile. If you notice signs of an eating disorder or just have questions, talk to your pediatrician.

Conversations with your teens don’t have to be perfect, and you don't have to get it right the first time.The goal is to keep them open and curious and grounded in care, not correction. Your child’s care team can support you and your family in navigating these conversations, and they can refer you to a therapist who is skilled in talking through body image concerns if your child needs more support.