Almost a quarter of children under 10 consider themselves overweight, according to a survey.

Some 28 per cent have been bullied because of their weight while 26 per cent have skipped a meal in the hope of losing the extra kilos. The poll of 1,500 young people aged seven to 18 also found that more than 40 per cent of under 10s worry about their weight and almost a quarter (23 per cent) have been on a diet in the past year. Two-thirds (66 per cent) of this age group admit to weighing themselves, with 37 per cent doing so regularly.

And 38 per cent say they are influenced by a “diet obsessed society”.

Among youngsters aged 11 to 13, 34 per cent are not happy with their weight and 61 per cent worry about it, 45 per cent have been on a diet, including 15 per cent in the last year.

Some 77 per cent of this age group weigh themselves, with half doing so regularly.

And 44 per cent have been the victim of bullying over their size while 51 per cent say they are influenced by society’s expectations. Of all the age groups, 13 per cent say they are on a constant diet, while more than a quarter have visited anorexia websites and five per cent do so on a regular basis.

More than half also said they had heard of people making themselves sick after eating and 16 per cent think laxatives help weight loss.

More than half of girls surveyed said they want to be a size 10 or smaller when they are older.