UK moves to ban cosmetic surgery ads targeting under-18s

25 Nov 2021 --- Advertisements for cosmetic surgery clinics targeting teenagers will soon be banned in the UK, beginning May 2022. The ban aims to stop these establishments from promoting and influencing nose jobs, breast enlargement and liposuction to minors who are highly susceptible to body dysmorphia. 

Ads targeted by the ban range from social media posts on social networks – including TikTok, Facebook and Instagram – to billboards and posters, newspapers, magazines and radio.

In addition, the new policy will put a cap on influencer marketing – online promotions led by social media users that have amassed large droves of followers – that target the audience of under-18s or particular interest to this demographic.

CAP will conduct a 12-month post-implementation review to ensure that the new rules are functioning as intended.“Because of the inherent risks of cosmetic intervention procedures, and the potential appeal of these services to young people struggling with body confidence issues, it is important we set the bar necessarily high in terms of marketing,” says Shahriar Coupal, director of the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP).

CAP is responsible for setting the codes that all UK advertisers follow and has previously led a consultation on the matter to address “concerns expressed by senior NHS and public health figures.”

“The new rules will ensure ads can’t be targeted at under-18s and, where children and young people do see them, our strict rules mean the ads can’t mislead or otherwise exploit the vulnerabilities of their audience,” says Coupal.

Curbing the influence
Working with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BCAP), CAP will conduct a 12-month post-implementation review to ensure that the new rules are functioning as intended.

This policy will not implicate ads for cosmetic products, such as lotions, makeup, facial masks, tanning or hair care products.

“Children and young people are particularly vulnerable to body image pressures and negative body image perceptions are prevalent amongst those groups, which can have an impact on their self-esteem, wellbeing, mental health and behaviors,” CAP stresses.

“In particular, the period of adolescence has been highlighted in the evidence cited by consultation respondents as a life stage in which children and young people’s body image positivity may rapidly decline.”

Worsening this condition, exposure to different forms of media including advertising – particularly those that focus on body image “improvements” such as cosmetic intervention procedures – is likely to exacerbate body image dissatisfaction and negativity during adolescence.

The majority of cosmetic interventions are legally available to under-18s, some of which are subject to legal requirements relating to capacity to consent.Maintaining a uniform standard
It is notable that there have been no restrictions on advertising cosmetic procedures to under-18s, while certain controls exist around the marketing of junk food, as well as on alcohol and gambling.

In 2018, Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which is responsible for enforcing the UK advertising policy, received complaints about a breast surgery ad promoting MYA clinic that ran during the Love Island breaks, streamed on the UK channel, ITV Hub.

The clip featured bikini-clad women partying at a swimming pool, on the beach and on a boat and was banned by the ASA following ample criticism. Some of these complaints came from the UK’s Mental Health Foundation, which stipulated that the ad connoted an aspirational link between body confidence, happiness and surgery.

Popularity of cosmetic interventions
CAP and BCAP further underscore that the majority of cosmetic interventions are legally available to under-18s, some of which are subject to legal requirements relating to capacity to consent.

A recent study conducted by researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine has confirmed that the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown led to an increasing number of people relying on dubious DIY tutorial videos online to show them how to use fillers and botox blends. And, in some cases this has led to disfigurement.

The internet further exacerbates this issue. Social media users can easily create unhealthy comparisons with others, while misinformation is highly accessible next to the availability of illegally traded products.

Considering this, Lush Cosmetics recently took a stand against the dangers of social media by deactivating its global Facebook, Instagram and TikTok accounts. This move results from the brand’s efforts to shield its customers from the “harm and manipulation” they may experience while trying to connect with Lush on social media.

By Benjamin Ferrer