Instagram announced new rules for diet and cosmetic surgery posts

Instagram

Instagram has restricted posts that promote weight loss products and cosmetic procedures to teenagers

Instagram announced it will obtain some restrictions on posts for diet products and cosmetic surgery in an effort to combat the negative impact on body image.


Under the new policy, also applied to Facebook, posts that promote weight-loss products or cosmetic surgery with incentives to buy will be subjected to age restrictions that will bar users under 18 years from viewing.


The platform also said any content which makes a "miraculous" claim about a diet or weight-loss product and is linked to a commercial offer such as a discount code will now be removed from Instagram.


In May, the Mental Health Foundation surveyed 4,505 adults and found that one in eight had considered taking their own lives because of concerns related to body image, as per reports said.


Emma Collins, Instagram’s public policy manager, said,

“We want Instagram to be a positive place for everyone that uses it and this policy is part of our ongoing work to reduce the pressure that people can sometimes feel as a result of social media.

We've sought guidance from external experts, including Dr Ysabel Gerrard in the UK, to make sure any steps to restrict and remove this content will have a positive impact on our community of over one billion people around the world – whilst ensuring Instagram remains a platform for expression and discussion.”

The social media platform says age restrictions will be applied to some posts on both Instagram and Facebook, while others will now be removed. The company wants to put up a barrier between impressionable users and weight loss products that might be pushed by the people they follow.


Jameela Jamil, an actress on The Good Place, an outspoken body-positive activist who has called out celebrities for promoting dangerous diet products in the past, said,

"After a bunch of shouting, screaming, and petitioning... we have managed to get the attention of the people at the top, and they have heard us and want to protect us. And this is just the beginning of our efforts. As of now, if you’re under 18, you will no longer be exposed to any diet/detox products, and for all other ages; all fad products that have bogus, unrealistic claims will be taken down and easy to report.

I’ve been working with Instagram all year towards this, who were amazing to deal with, and they expressed that they passionately care about creating a safer space for us all online."

The new policies implemented by the one billion user-strong platform that have been put in place in a bid to continue to help ease the pressure young people feel by scrolling through Instagram.


Facebook specifically said that it is looking at "products on Instagram such as diet teas, supplements and certain cosmetic surgery." It's likely that the new policy will affect the influencers who use their bodies as proof of these products' validity the most.


The company confirmed that its advertising policies also have never allowed this type of promotion.


Instagram also plans to introduce new tools in the coming weeks that will allow users to report a post within the app if they believe it violates the new policy.





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