Following allegations of “fat-shaming,” an episode of a beloved children’s television program has undergone editing.

The most recent episode of Bluey, which aired on ABC in Australia, depicted the parents of the titular character expressing concerns about their weight.

Critics have voiced their concerns, suggesting that the episode could potentially instill body image anxieties in young viewers.

An ABC spokesperson confirmed that the episode has been modified and the revised version will be made available globally.

Bluey, a series centered around a puppy and her family, is broadcasted on ABC, Disney+, and the BBC children’s channel CBeebies.

The episode in question, titled “Exercise,” opens with Bluey’s father, Bandit, weighing himself while Bluey is taking a bath.

“Oh man … I just need to do some exercise,” Bandit says.

“Tell me about it,” Bluey’s mother, Chilli, replies.

Bandit looks at himself in the mirror, holding his sides.

“Why don’t you just do some exercise?” Bluey asks.

After concerns were raised on social media regarding body-shaming, that specific segment of the show has been removed.

Parents and health experts expressed worries about their children witnessing adults expressing dissatisfaction with their body shape and solely focusing on exercise as a means to lose weight.

However, some individuals believed that this was an excessive reaction to an episode that emphasized the importance of exercise.

An ABC spokesperson informed the BBC that the episode “Exercise” from Bluey has been re-released by the network following a decision made by the show’s creators. The updated version aims to enable families to engage in significant discussions in a manner that aligns with their own preferences.

“As the home of Bluey, the ABC supports the decision to re-edit the program and we have updated the episode on our platforms.

“BBC Studios will use this revised version for global distribution and also support this decision.”

The decision was welcomed by Dr Laura Renshaw-Vuillier, a senior lecturer at Bournemouth University and an expert on eating disorders and mental illness.

“I think it’s extremely important that we have discussions around healthy eating and exercise, but more from a health perspective rather than from a fat-shaming perspective,” she told BBC News.

“I did not see that episode, but I like how Bandit is so playful with his kids, and I think that if they can promote a way of doing exercise for fun rather than to lose weight it’s great.”

Dr Elina Telford, a child and adolescent clinical psychologist, said it was not possible to predict how the Bluey episode could affect children.

But she added: “It is reasonable to conclude that it is likely to have been unhelpful to at least some children and young people who internalise such messages and use their body weight and shape as a way to measure their own self worth.

“It is important to add that out relationship to body image, food, exercise and health are highly complex, and simplification of these difficulties maintain unhelpful and often derogating narratives about what it means to be different shapes and sizes.”

She added: “I am pleased that ABC heard the concern of the public and acted accordingly. In my opinion, their response isn’t censorship, it’s responsible and responsive broadcasting and that at least, is one thing to be celebrated.”

Bluey, an Emmy-award winning children’s show, has achieved tremendous global popularity, reaching audiences in over 60 countries such as the UK, the US, and China.

In the US alone, the show garnered over 20 billion minutes of streaming on Disney+ last year, placing it among the top 10 most viewed streaming programs.

The production of Bluey was a collaborative effort between ABC and BBC Studios, the commercial subsidiary of the BBC, back in 2017. The Australian production company Ludo is responsible for creating the series.

In terms of broadcasting rights, the ABC holds the rights to air the show in Australia, while the BBC possesses the rights for both broadcasting and commercial distribution on an international scale.