![\"Portrait](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-1498110943.jpg\")
\n\t\tEmma put her daughter on Mounjaro as a last resort to manage her weight struggles. Though unconventional, she has no regrets(Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tEmma put her daughter on Mounjaro as a last resort to manage her weight struggles. Though unconventional, she has no regrets(Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Asking her daughter Hayley* to look away while she\u2019s injected is the hardest part of Emma\u2019s week. There\u2019s always a wince of pain and sometimes tears.<\/p>\n
But Emma* isn\u2019t giving Hayley jabs through necessity \u2013 the 13-year-old is perfectly healthy. Instead, she is injecting her daughter<\/a> with Mounjaro <\/a>which she bought over the internet after lying about who it\u2019s for. <\/p>\n \u2018We\u2019ve tried everything to get Hayley\u2019s weight down. Diets don\u2019t work, she exercises but it never changes her weight and she\u2019s miserable about her size compared to her friends,\u2019 explains Emma, 43.<\/p>\n \u2018Our GP always suggested diet and exercise,<\/a> but that hasn\u2019t been that helpful at all. Mounjaro<\/a> is a last resort, yes, but it\u2019s working and she\u2019s already lost almost a stone.\u2019<\/p>\n At 5ft 4in and 80kg, Hayley is obese according to the NHS BMI calculator, but with a BMI of 30.3 she doesn\u2019t qualify on the NHS<\/a> for the weight loss injections which are costing Emma, a teaching assistant from Plymouth, hundreds of pounds.<\/p>\n According to NHS statistics, the teenager is one of 15% of children aged between 2 and 15 who are living with obesity <\/a>in the UK.\u00a0<\/p>\n While some NHS Trusts approve sameglutide GLP1 injections for children and teenagers, Psychologist Dr Carolyne Keenan is horrified by Emma\u2019s actions and says that illegally buying these drugs online could be catastrophically damaging for a child\u2019s mental health<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t \u2018When considering pharmacological interventions, it is crucial that these are closely monitored by doctors and delivered on a case-by-case basis,\u2019 she explains.<\/p>\n \u2018Children are still developing physically and emotionally, and any medication must be used with great caution. Identity formation during childhood and adolescence is deeply tied to body image and self-worth. <\/a>Introducing weight loss injections could inadvertently reinforce harmful beliefs about food and body image<\/a>, leading to long-term issues with self-esteem and disordered eating patterns.<\/a>\u2019<\/p>\n While it\u2019s estimated around 2.6% of teens in the UK are living with an eating disorder \u2013 an increase from 0.5% in 2017 \u2013 Dr Keenan warns weight loss jabs for teens will have long term effects, whether they\u2019re prescribed or bought illicitly online.<\/p>\n \u2018We\u2019ve seen the negative consequences of well-intentioned but poorly managed approaches in the past. In the 1990s and early 2000s, the US trend of sending children to \u201cfat camps\u201d aimed to tackle weight concerns through intensive diet and exercise regimes was popular,\u2019 she explains. \u2018However, many of those children reported long-lasting shame,<\/a> body dissatisfaction, and unhealthy relationships with food as a result.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t While Emma has decided to keep Hayley\u2019s injections a secret from her extended family, the mum strongly believes she\u2019s doing the right thing. <\/p>\n \u2018Hayley was so low about her weight for years. She\u2019d cry and get upset that she couldn\u2019t buy or wear the same clothes as her friends because of her weight,\u2019 she remembers. \u2018That\u2019s changing now. I\u2019m losing the sullen, quiet, sad teenager and she\u2019s growing in confidence, that\u2019s the only measure I need that I\u2019m doing the right thing.\u2019<\/p>\n The teenager tells Metro that she hasn\u2019t told her friends about her injections either. \u2018It was my idea and I asked Mum if we could look into it. I was a bit worried about being injected and I couldn\u2019t do it myself but I love the fact I\u2019m losing weight,\u2019 she adds. \u2018My friends have all noticed and are complimenting me on it which feels really nice.\u2019<\/p>\n Psychologist Dr Joanna Silver \u2013 who specialises in eating disorders<\/a> \u2013 says weight loss jabs aren\u2019t the right answer for children like Hayley who need help improving their own body image. \u2018It makes sense to want to ease your child\u2019s pain, but before trying medication, it is important to find out why your child is struggling,\u2019 she explains.<\/p>\n \u2018Have they faced bullying? Do they feel ashamed of their body? Are they using food to handle emotional pain<\/a>? GLP1s might help with weight but they don\u2019t fix the deeper emotional issues. The best way is a team approach that includes psychological support. <\/a><\/p>\n \u2018Giving medication without knowing the root of their pain can make shame worse and suggest the body is the problem. Similarly, leaving children with insecure body issues is worrying. We need to help children find healthy coping mechanisms to manage their challenges.\u2019<\/p>\n Weight loss injections were approved by NHS watchdog the National Institute for Clinical Excellence in 2022 and figures from last December show over 500,000 people in the UK are using the jabs with a staggering 95% percent of them buying the medication online<\/a> like Emma does.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t Nutritionist Marcelle Rose tells Metro that she\u2019s witnessing more people who have decided to ditch the weight loss injections after ending up with mental health issues as a consequence of their use. \u2018I\u2019m seeing an increase in clients who have tried these medications and stopped due to side effects,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce discontinued, many experience rapid weight regain and a sense of feeling completely out of control around food. Their body image often deteriorates because they were sold the idea that the injection would solve all their problems. <\/p>\n \u2018More worryingly, I\u2019m beginning to see people who became addicted to the weight loss itself. For some, the sense of control or validation they felt led them to push their weight lower and lower and they\u2019ve ended up with an eating disorder.<\/a>\u2019<\/p>\n While Emma insists this isn\u2019t the situation for her daughter, she is aware of potential issues. \u2018I know Hayley\u2019s confidence and self-esteem improvements have come from her weight loss,\u2019 she admits.<\/p>\n \t\t \u2018While I love how happy she is, I don\u2019t like that it\u2019s tied to her body image but then she\u2019s not alone in that \u2013 we all feel more confident when we look good. <\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019ve never bought up her weight with her, we only ever talk about it if she raises it and make sure I praise her for other things outside of her appearance. When she said she wanted to try them I did a lot of research online and yes, I had to pretend they were for me, but they\u2019re from a reputable online chemist.\u2019<\/p>\n Emma adds that she hasn\u2019t thought too much about what they\u2019ll do when Hayley gets to her target weight. \u2018We\u2019ll cross that bridge when we come to it. I know we can go down to a maintenance dose<\/a> but at some point she\u2019ll have to come off them all together,\u2019 she explains. <\/p>\n \u2018Right now, I make sure her diet is as healthy as I can and we exercise together, so I hope the injections are enough of a reset that maybe coupled with a growth spurt, she\u2019ll never put the weight back on.<\/a>\u2019<\/p>\n However, regardless of Hayley\u2019s well-meaning intentions, Dr Keenan warns that any parents thinking of getting weight loss injections illegally for their children should exercise extreme caution. \u2018<\/p>\n Addressing childhood weight issues, particularly through medical interventions like weight loss drugs, is highly complex and must be approached with sensitivity and a strong, evidence-based framework,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n \u2018For weight loss injections to have genuine long-term benefits for children, they would need to be integrated into a multidisciplinary care plan<\/a>.\u2019<\/p>\n *names have been changed to protect identities<\/p>\n \t\t\tComments Arrow Arrow![\"Mounjaro](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2217673947.jpg\")
\n\t\tHayley* is obese per the NHS BMI calculator but didn\u2019t qualify for NHS injections, so Emma* bought the drug online, lying about the recipient (Picture: Peter Dazeley via Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"Over](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-1214862036.jpg\")
\n\t\tDespite keeping the injections from her family,Emma* believes that the weight loss drug has been transformative for Hayley\u2019s confidence (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2226631524.jpg\")
\n\t\tDespite being approved by the NHS watchdog, professionals are concerned about the physical and mental health side effects that come with the injections (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"Unrecognizable](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-1791310977.jpg\")
\n\t\tEmma* plans to maintain Hayley\u2019s weight with diet and exercise, and hope that she will never regain after coming off the drug completely (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
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