Children 'bombarded' with weight loss drug ads online, says commissioner

"Laura CressTechnology reporter Fiordaliso via Getty Images Children are routinely exposed to adverts for weight loss injections and pills online, according to a report by the children's commissioner for England. It found young people were "routinely bombarded" with ads for products which claimed to change their bodies and appearance, despite this kind of advertising being banned. Dame Rachel de Souza said the posts were "immensely damaging" to young people's self-esteem and called for a ban on social media advertising to children."

"Dame Rachel's report used a survey of 2,000 children aged 13-17 about the potentially harmful products they saw online, alongside two focus groups. Respondents said they also saw products promoting weight loss such as diet food or drinks, as well as skin-lightening products which can be illegal to sell in the UK. Other contributors said beauty content online was "unavoidable" - including posts promoting cosmetic procedures such as lip fillers."

"Dr Peter Macaulay, a senior lecturer in Psychology at the University of Derby said ending advertising to children on social media was a "necessary step", and he believed regulation should go even further. "Alongside restrictions, we need stronger platform accountability, better enforcement of age-appropriate design, and education that helps children understand and critically navigate online pressures," he said. Several solutions were suggested within Dame Rachel's report, including amending the Online Safety Act (OSA) to include a "clear duty of care" for social media platforms to stop showing adverts to children."

Children are routinely exposed to online adverts for weight-loss injections, pills, diet products, and skin-lightening items despite advertising bans. Such adverts make claims about changing bodies and appearance and are repeatedly encountered by young people. Beauty content including promotion of cosmetic procedures such as lip fillers is described as unavoidable. A survey of 2,000 children aged 13–17 and two focus groups documented these exposures. Experts urge ending advertising to children, stronger platform accountability, better enforcement of age-appropriate design, and education to help children critically navigate online pressures. Proposed policy changes include amending the Online Safety Act to impose a clear duty of care on platforms.

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