Children Routinely Targeted by Harmful Appearance-Altering Ads Online
The Children's Commissioner has issued a stark warning, revealing that children are being "routinely bombarded" with advertisements for appearance-changing products on social media platforms. Dame Rachel de Souza has called for an urgent end to all advertising targeted at children online, highlighting the severe impact on young people's mental health and wellbeing.
Widespread Exposure to Dangerous Products
According to the commissioner's report, A healthy influence? Children's exposure to appearance-changing products online, children face regular exposure to potentially harmful products including:
- Weight loss injections and prescription-only drugs
- Skin lightening products containing toxic ingredients
- Steroids and performance-enhancing substances
- Teeth whitening products and cosmetic procedures
- Non-prescription weight loss pills and supplements
Alarmingly, 41% of 13 to 17-year-olds reported seeing advertisements for prescription-only weight loss drugs, despite these being banned from public advertising in the UK. More than half of children (54%) had encountered exercise and diet plans, while 52% had seen ads for food and drink products claiming to aid weight loss.
Disproportionate Impact on Minority Groups
The research uncovered significant disparities in exposure across different ethnic groups. Some 46% of black children and 35% of Asian children reported seeing advertisements for skin lightening products, compared to just 24% of white children. Many of these products are illegal to sell in the UK and contain toxic ingredients that can cause serious health complications.
Black children were also more likely to try appearance-changing products, including exercise and diet plans, than their white counterparts. The study found that 8% of children had purchased or tried non-prescription weight loss pills, despite these products typically being age-restricted to over-18s, while 21% had bought or tried food or drink marketed specifically for weight loss.
Severe Consequences for Children's Health
The impact on children's wellbeing has been profound, with 78% of children reporting that these advertisements negatively affected their self-esteem. Some children experienced physical reactions after purchasing or trying appearance-changing products online, including infections from eyelash products containing undisclosed chemicals.
More than half of girls (56%) had seen advertisements for cosmetic procedures such as fillers or Botox, despite these being illegal for under-18s. Two-thirds of children (66%) reported seeing teeth whitening products online, contributing to growing pressures on young people to conform to unrealistic beauty standards.
Calls for Immediate Regulatory Action
Dame Rachel de Souza is advocating for comprehensive reforms to protect children online, including:
- Amending the Online Safety Act to end all advertising to children on social media platforms
- Changes to Ofcom's Children's Code of Practice to explicitly protect children from body stigma content
- Stronger regulation and enforcement of online sales of age-restricted products
The commissioner emphasized: "Childhood is a short and precious time, but it is undeniable that children today are facing pressures like never before, with too many children growing up in an online world that takes advantage of their insecurities and tells them they are not good enough as they are."
Broader Context and Recommendations
This latest report follows concerning findings from a 2024 survey by the commissioner, which revealed that just 40% of girls and 60% of boys were happy with their appearance. Dame Rachel stressed that while restricting children's access to social media platforms might form part of the solution, it cannot be the only response.
"Extreme and potentially dangerous appearance changing products are being normalised to children through advertising, influencer culture and online posts, despite many of these products being unsafe, illegal or strictly age-restricted," she warned. "For their developing and fragile sense of self-esteem, this is immensely damaging."
The commissioner called for urgent action to create an online environment that is "truly safer by design," emphasizing that society cannot continue to accept digital spaces that profit from children's insecurities. The research, conducted by OnePoll in December, surveyed 2,000 children aged 13 to 17, providing compelling evidence of the scale of this growing problem.
