Social media companies should ban damaging celebrity-endorsed social media ads promoting weight loss aids according to England’s top doctor.
Some celebrities with large followings are promoting products such as diet pills and detox teas on social media. Professor Stephen Powis, NHS medical director, has argued that these products have a damaging effect on the physical and mental health of young people. He is urging the influential celebrities to act responsibly.
Professor Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said: “If a product sounds like it is too good to be true, then it probably is. The risks of quick-fix weight-loss far outweigh the benefits, and advertising these products without a health warning is damaging and misleading.
“Highly influential celebrities are letting down the very people who look up to them by peddling products which are at best ineffective and at worst harmful.
“Social media firms have a duty to stamp out the practice of individuals and companies using their platform to target young people with products known to risk ill health.
“Promoting potentially damaging products with no clinical advice or health warning can be really detrimental to someone’s physical and mental health, and with pressure on young people to live up to idealised images greater than they ever have been, it’s too often families and the health service who are left to pick up the pieces.
“Our Long Term Plan for the NHS sets out one of the most ambitious packages of investment in care anywhere in the world, and as the health service steps up to support millions more families, we need high-profile figures, businesses, employers and others to ask what more they can do to improve our country’s health and wellbeing.”
Social influential celebrities have promoted weight loss aids for payment on social media, this type of advertising is increasing as brands are realising how influential their post are with young people.
The Competition and Markets Authority announced a suppression on celebrities who do not clearly label their posts as being paid-for advertisements however, there are rules around promotion.
This intervention comes after a series of high profile concerns raised about suicides and self-harm of young people linked to advertising and social media.
The Science and Technology Committee has also concluded in the House of Commons that social media companies must have a legal duty of care to protect young people’s health and wellbeing when accessing their sites with 70% of 12-15 years old having an online profile according to Ofcom.
Research from the National Citizen Service shows that at least one in four young people say their appearance is the most important thing to them while half of girls feel pressure to be thinner and a third of boys felt they needed to be more muscular.
Kim Kardashian West who has 126 million followers on Instagram was criticised for advertising appetite-suppressing lolly-pops last year but later deleted the post. However she still promotes meal replacement shakes.
Kitty Wallace, Trustee for the Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) Foundation, said: “The rise of celebrities and influencers promoting potentially harmful products such as diet pills, detox teas and appetite suppressant sweets on social media sites is having an increasingly damaging effect on the mental health of young people.
“The bombardment of these idealised body images is fuelling a mental health and anxiety epidemic in young people. If celebrities themselves will not step up to protect their young fans then companies such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter should be compelled to take down these damaging posts.
“Body Dysmorphic Disorder is a disabling preoccupation with a perceived defect or flaw in appearance. BDD affects 1 in 50 people, causes extreme distress and has a significant effect on an individual’s quality of life.
“Many sufferers say that idealised social media posts fuelled their anxiety and self-loathing.
“1 in 3 people with BDD will make an attempt on their lives. With this in mind we need to change our attitudes to advertising on social media, crack down on false advertisin
