41 per cent of children in England have been exposed to online ads promoting prescription-only weight loss drugs like Ozempic or Mounjaro, despite this type of advertising being illegal in the country.
The Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England has released “deeply concerning” findings which show that over half of children in the country have seen meals, snacks and drinks online that make claims that they help people lose weight.
A further 54 per cent said that they have been exposed to exercise or diet plans aimed at helping people lose weight when online.
Eight per cent of children have bought or tried non-prescription pills that claim to help people lose weight, products that are often age restricted to over 18s.
The Children’s Commissioner warned that Black children (35 per cent) are substantially more likely than white children (20 per cent) to have bought or tried meals, snacks or drinks for weight loss.
The study also shows that Black (46 per cent) and Asian (35 per cent) children are more likely than white children (24 per cent) to see products that claim to lighten skin online. They are also more likely to use these products, despite ingredients in some of these products being toxic and some items being illegal to sell.
Forty-three per cent of boys have seen supplements for muscle building online, compared to 32 per cent of girls.
“Children tell me – and they have told tech companies directly in my presence – that they have been targeted by advertising for the kind of products tech companies would insist were blocked from their social media feeds, or even those that should by law be banned from being shown to them,” said Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza. “The findings in this report are deeply concerning, not just the kind of products being promoted to children but the way in which advertising content preys on their fragile sense of self-esteem.”
Commenting on the government exploring the possibility of a social media ban for under-16s through a new consultation, de Souza said that it is not enough simply to impose this restriction.
“Introducing a ban is not an immediate guarantee that children are safer,” she continued. “In many ways, deciding to impose a ban is the easy bit.
“The hard work is making sure a ban is workable, well-understood, easily enforced and has teeth. When companies are found to be breaking the rules, sanctions must be significant enough to create a genuine disincentive.”
