"Dame Rachel said the content was "immensely damaging" to young people's self-esteem and urged ministers to consider a ban on targeted social media advertising to children. "We cannot continue to accept an online world that profits from children's insecurities and constantly tells them they need to change," she said. "Urgent action is needed to create an online environment that is truly safer by design.""
"Respondents reported seeing ads for weight-loss drugs and diet products, as well as skin-lightening treatments, some of which are illegal to sell in the UK. Others described beauty and cosmetic content, including promotions for lip fillers and aesthetic procedures, as "unavoidable" across major social media platforms."
"The findings come amid the rollout of the Online Safety Act, which aims to make the internet safer for users, particularly children, by placing duties on platforms to remove harmful material quickly. Dame Rachel's report suggests amending the Act to introduce a clearer "duty of care" obliging platforms to prevent children from being shown body-image related advertising in the first place. She also recommended changes to Ofcom's Children's Code of Practice to explicitly protect young users from "body stigma" content."
A survey of 2,000 children aged 13 to 17 and focus groups found young people are frequently exposed to online advertising promoting body transformation despite existing restrictions. Respondents reported seeing ads for weight-loss drugs, diet products and skin-lightening treatments (some illegal in the UK), as well as promotions for lip fillers and other aesthetic procedures described as unavoidable across major platforms. Recommended actions include banning targeted ads to children, amending the Online Safety Act to impose a clearer duty of care, and updating Ofcom's Children's Code to protect young users from body-stigma content. Ofcom says such material is already covered under current rules.
Read at Business Matters
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