If we are serious about protecting young people, education must become part of the solution not another place where eating disorders are missed, misunderstood, or worsened. Across schools, colleges and universities, staff described feeling underprepared to identify eating disorders or respond safely when concerns arise. Young people and families shared experiences of harmful misunderstandings, delayed support, and environments where diet culture and weight-focused messaging c

Why are we still quoting 1.25 million? The UK’s eating disorder data problem. For years, one figure has dominated the conversation around eating disorders in the UK: 1.25 million people affected. It’s been widely used in media, policy discussions, and public awareness campaigns. The UK is facing a far larger eating disorder crisis than we are currently acknowledging, and until we fix the data, we will continue to fall short on action.

A new Private Member’s Bill has been introduced in Parliament calling for mandatory eating disorder and disordered eating training for frontline public service workers, in a move campaigners say could save lives through earlier identification and intervention.

A cross-party group of MPs will join campaigners at Downing Street on October 28th to deliver a petition calling for urgent Government action to end preventable deaths from eating disorders.