This petition was submitted during the 2019-2024 parliament

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Petition Require adverts to state when person's features have been enhanced or distorted

The Government should enact legislation to make it compulsory for any form of advertisement featuring human beings, to declare whether the image has been digitally edited, filtered or altered in order to enhance or distort the features of the person in question.

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One in three UK teenagers feel 'ashamed of their body' (Guardian, 2019), causing substantial physical and psychological distress among adolescents, and even in children as young as 12. Therefore, I feel it is imperative, at the very least, that advertisements using any form of distortion or body altering software, must declare these images as 'altered', 'edited', or 'photoshopped' to reduce the unattainable and false perceptions of body image and beauty standards evident in today's society.

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The impact of body image on mental and physical health – Share your views with MPs

The MPs on the Health and Social Care Committee want to hear your views on the impact of body image on physical and mental health. They have launched a survey covering accessing public health services for body image-related issues and the current public health messaging on obesity. You do not need to have experience of all of these to take the survey. All responses will be anonymous.

Share your views by taking this 10 minute survey: https://forms.office.com/r/Lt8igbwKNU

The survey will remain open until Wednesday 11 May at 5pm.

The responses received will be used to inform the Committee’s inquiry into the impact of body image on mental and physical health. The results will likely be published as part of the Committee’s report on this issue, which will be published following the conclusion of the inquiry later this year, and will contribute to the recommendations the Committee will make to the Government on this topic.

The inquiry

The Health and Social Care Committee’s inquiry is examining concerns about the relationship between people’s perception of their body image and their physical and mental health. They will consider how far people’s perception of body image can hinder access to NHS services and whether NHS training and Government messaging should be altered.

The inquiry is currently ongoing. So far, the Committee has held two evidence session with activists such as James Brittain-McVey, Lead Guitarist in the Vamps and Campaigner; Alex Light, Journalist and Influencer; Nyome Nicholas-Williams, Model and Activist, and NHS clinical and research experts.

Find out more information about the inquiry, including the written and oral submissions received: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/1674/the-impact-of-body-image-on-mental-and-physical-health/

What is the Health and Social Care Committee?

The Health and Social Care Committee is a cross-party group of MPs that look into the work of the Department for Health and Social Care and associated public bodies.

Find out more about the Committee: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/81/health-and-social-care-committee/

Follow the Committee on Twitter for updates on its work: https://twitter.com/CommonsHealth

The Health and Social Care Committee is a select committee. Find out how select committees work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_2RDuDs44c

Get involved in the work of the UK Parliament

You can also sign up to the UK Parliament newsletter for the latest information on how to get involved and make a difference: https://learning.parliament.uk/en/your-uk-parliament-newsletter-sign-up-form/

Action on influencer advertising and employment rules is needed, say MPs

MPs on the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee have published a report on influencer culture. In the report, the Committee says that poor enforcement of advertising regulations in the influencer industry and the lack of employment protection and transparency leave both creators and consumers of influencer content at risk.

Read an interactive summary of the report: https://ukparliament.shorthandstories.com/influencer-culture-DCMS-report/index.html

Read the full report: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5802/cmselect/cmcumeds/258/report.html

The Committee also called on the Government to:

  • Develop a code of conduct for influencer marketing that works for content creators, agencies and brands.
  • Give the Advertising Standards Agency more power to enforce regulations surrounding non-broadcast advertising.
  • Address the gaps in child labour legislation that leave young influencers vulnerable to exploitation.
  • Implement enhanced mandatory advertising disclosure for content aimed at children.

What happens next?

The Government now must respond to the Committee's report, which was published on 9 May 2022, within two months. The Committee will publish the Government’s response here: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/1126/influencer-culture/publications/

What is the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee?

The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee is a cross-party group of non-Government MPs who are responsible for scrutinising the work of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and its associated public bodies, including the BBC.

Find out more about the Committee: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/378/digital-culture-media-and-sport-committee/

Follow the Committee on Twitter for updates on its work: https://twitter.com/CommonsDCMS

Get involved in the work of the UK Parliament

You can also sign up to the UK Parliament newsletter for the latest information on how to get involved and make a difference: https://learning.parliament.uk/en/your-uk-parliament-newsletter-sign-up-form/