A group of MPs has said that advertisers should be forced to declare if images of models have been digitally doctored.
The call follows the publication of a report by the Health and Social Care Committee which has raised concerns over how rising levels of body dissatisfaction in the UK is pushing the advertising industry to increasingly alter images of celebrities.
The report recommends that the government should implement new laws requiring any images where a body has been digitally doctored should contain a logo to alert viewers.
Additional calls were made by the group for greater regulation on influencer-published images, where image alteration is a widespread industry practice.
“The government must act urgently to end the situation where anyone can carry out non-surgical cosmetic procedures, regardless of training or qualifications,” Committee chairman and former health secretary Jeremy Hunt said.
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“We heard of some distressing experiences – a conveyor belt approach with procedures carried out with no questions asked, procedures that have gone wrong, the use of filthy premises.
He continued: “It was clear throughout our inquiry that some groups are particularly vulnerable to exploitation in this growing market that has gone largely unregulated.”
Chief policy officer at the British beauty council, Victoria Brownlie added: “We want a beauty industry that stands as a beacon for body positivity with world-leading standards of care.
“Regulation for non-surgical cosmetic procedures can’t come soon enough and, while the government has committed to addressing this, current party politics means that such policy changes are in limbo. Timelines are unclear.”
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