The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has set a deadline to tackle persistent issues around the use of digitally-altered images in advertising and their potentially harmful impact on body image.
Working with the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP), the ASA has pledged to determine by spring 2024 whether or not the existing legislative framework sufficiently addresses the potential harms arising from digitally-altered body parts and proportions which can be seen in advertising.
The update statement on the review into the use of digitally-altered images in advertising follows on from the interim data published in 2022, which set out key policy areas for further investigation, focusing on possible solutions to the potential harm caused by ‘photoshopped’ images.
The advertising watchdog has already hosted a roundtable of children and young people to help inform its assessment, and continues to consult with the wider advertising industry to ensure it gains a broad range of views.
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The need for reform in this sector is undeniable, with numerous studies released across the years detailing a clear correlation between altered body images and negative perceptions of self-worth in certain large sections of the public.
During its consultation, the ASA will notably look to strategies implemented by other countries to deal with the issue and their outcomes – including Norway, which has banned the use of all undeclared photo modifications.
The ASA’s consultation will also take into account the nature of the techniques used to digitally alter images in ads; any potential for body image-related harms arising from the use of such images in advertising, and the regulator’s own role in mitigating such harms.
