Children in England ‘Bombarded’ With Weight-Loss and Beauty Ads Online, Says Report

Children across England are being exposed to a constant stream of ads pushing weight-loss injections, muscle-building steroids and skin-lightening products, according to a new report from the children’s commissioner.

Study says beauty content is almost impossible to avoid

The study, which is based on a survey of 2,000 teenagers aged 13 to 17 and follow-up focus groups, found that young people are regularly seeing content promoting products that claim to change how they look, even when those products are illegal, age-restricted or banned from being advertised to the public.

Among those who were surveyed, 41% said they had come across prescription-only weight-loss drugs online, more than a quarter had seen skin-whitening creams that can contain harmful ingredients, and nearly a quarter had seen steroids or other drugs marketed as muscle boosters. Over half reported seeing ads for diet plans or food and drinks promising weight loss. Two-thirds had seen teeth-whitening products, and 56% of girls said they had seen promotions for cosmetic procedures like fillers or Botox, which are illegal for under-18s.

Many of these products are appearing through influencer posts, small-scale content creators and even in gaming spaces. Some children said beauty-focused content felt impossible to avoid. More than three-quarters said seeing these ads had a negative effect on how they felt about themselves. Previous research by the commissioner found that just 40% of girls and 60% of boys felt happy with their appearance.

The children’s commissioner’s report also found that 8% of children had tried non-prescription pills claiming to help with weight loss, while one in five had bought food or drink marketed for slimming. Some reported negative side effects, including infections linked to beauty products containing undisclosed chemicals.

The study highlighted ethnic disparities too, with black children more likely to say they had tried weight-loss products and more likely to have seen ads for skin-lightening creams. Higher numbers of black and Asian teens reported seeing these products compared with their white peers.

Dame Rachel de Souza, the children’s commissioner for England, said: “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. For their developing and fragile sense of self-esteem, this is immensely damaging.”

She added: “Urgent action is needed to create an online world that is truly safer by design. We cannot continue to accept an online world that profits from children’s insecurities and constantly tells them they need to change or must be better.”

Report calls for ban on advertising to children on social media

The report calls for a full ban on social media advertising aimed at children by updating the Online Safety Act and strengthening Ofcom’s Children’s Code of Practice to clearly cover body stigma content. It also calls for tighter checks on the online sale of age-restricted products and suggests the government consider limiting children’s access to certain platforms.

The Online Safety Act already requires companies to remove harmful content quickly and is enforced by Ofcom. A spokesperson for the regulator said it does not tolerate “tech firms prioritising engagement over children's online safety” and added that harmful body-related content must be addressed under existing rules.

A government spokesperson said: “The Online Safety Act includes some of the strongest online safety protections in the world and just this week we launched a dedicated campaign helping parents to support their children in dealing with harmful content such as body-shaming, rage bait and misogyny. We were always clear that the act wasn’t the end of the conversation, nor is anything off the table when it comes to children’s safety. That’s why we’re launching a national consultation on bold measures to protect children online, from banning social media for under-16s to tackling addictive design features.”

Promoting weight-loss injections as a customer could be breaking the law

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has also warned social media users they could be breaking the law by promoting prescription-only weight-loss injections online. In recent rulings, the regulator banned Instagram, TikTok and Facebook posts where members of the public shared discount codes and referral links for such drugs.

Because weight-loss injections are prescription-only, they cannot legally be advertised to the public. The ASA said that some people may not realise that promoting them, even if you are a customer who is recommending them rather than selling them yourself, is against the rules.

ASA investigations manager Catherine Drewett said the decisions “send a clear message that affiliate marketing is not a loophole and that promoting prescription medicines through social media, whether as a brand, influencer or customer, is against the law and our rules”.

As ministers consult on possible new restrictions for children on the internet, including a potential social media ban for under-16s, Dame Rachel has warned that any move must be carefully enforced to avoid pushing young people toward less regulated corners of the internet.