Children are routinely exposed to adverts for weight-loss injections, diet products and cosmetic procedures online, according to a new report by Dame Rachel de Souza, who has called for tougher regulation of social media platforms.
The report, based on a survey of 2,000 children aged 13 to 17 alongside focus groups, found that young people were being “bombarded” with content promoting body transformation, despite restrictions on certain types of advertising.
Respondents reported seeing ads for weight-loss drugs and diet products, as well as skin-lightening treatments, some of which are illegal to sell in the UK. Others described beauty and cosmetic content, including promotions for lip fillers and aesthetic procedures, as “unavoidable” across major social media platforms.
Dame Rachel said the content was “immensely damaging” to young people’s self-esteem and urged ministers to consider a ban on targeted social media advertising to children.
“We cannot continue to accept an online world that profits from children’s insecurities and constantly tells them they need to change,” she said. “Urgent action is needed to create an online environment that is truly safer by design.”
The findings come amid the rollout of the Online Safety Act, which aims to make the internet safer for users, particularly children, by placing duties on platforms to remove harmful material quickly.
Dame Rachel’s report suggests amending the Act to introduce a clearer “duty of care” obliging platforms to prevent children from being shown body-image related advertising in the first place. She also recommended changes to Ofcom’s Children’s Code of Practice to explicitly protect young users from “body stigma” content.
Ofcom said such material is already covered under its existing code. “Body stigma content can be incredibly harmful to children, which is why our rules require sites and apps to protect children from encountering it and to act swiftly when they become aware of it,” a spokesperson said. The regulator added it would not tolerate technology firms “prioritising engagement over children’s online safety”.
The commissioner also called for stronger enforcement of rules governing the online sale of age-restricted products and suggested the government consider limiting children’s access to certain social media platforms altogether.
Dr Peter Macaulay, senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Derby, said restricting advertising to children was a necessary step but not sufficient on its own. “We also need stronger platform accountability, improved enforcement of age-appropriate design standards and better education to help children critically navigate online pressures,” he said.
A government spokesperson said ministers had always been clear that the Online Safety Act was “not the end of the conversation” and confirmed that a national consultation had been launched on further measures, including the possibility of banning social media use for under-16s.
The debate highlights growing concern among policymakers about the commercial drivers behind youth-facing content, as platforms face mounting pressure to demonstrate that their business models do not undermine children’s mental health.
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