Anger atTK Maxx’s scales for little girls

A HIGH Street chain came under fire last night for selling scales aimed at little girls.

In a move criticised by campaigners for promoting unhealthy self-awareness, the tiny, bright-pink Hello Kitty scales have been on sale in branches of TK Maxx across Britain.

The news comes as growing numbers of body-conscious children are being admitted to hospital with eating disorders.

Siobhan Freegard, of parenting website Netmums, said: ‘A product that encourages a little girl to learn to weigh herself regularly and be conscious of her weight is shocking. Little girls should be left alone to have a proper childhood.

‘Encouraging a young child to compare herself to others will lead to low self-esteem and low selfconfidence, and at worst to eating disorders. It’s irresponsible of the manufacturer to make this product and irresponsible of the retailer to sell it. They should put children’s welfare before profits.’

Mary George, of eating disorder charity Beat, said: ‘We are very concerned. Young children are increasingly aware of body image and greater numbers of this age-group are being admitted to hospital with eating disorders. This type of product typifies the wrong message to send to young people.’

Last night TK Maxx bowed to pressure and said it would be removing the product from its UK stores.

But Hello Kitty manufacturers Sanrio defended the scales. ‘We are committed to developing safe and enjoyable products for our fans. The scales are not intended to be a statement about weight or body consciousness,’ said a Sanrio spokesman last night.