The growth of social media has also led to the growth of posts focused on cosmetic surgery and weight loss. Some of the posts, such as the information you receive from board-certified doctors on Cosmetic Town, are medical in nature and offer information that helps patients make informed decisions about undergoing cosmetic surgery. In addition, some Instagram posts show how to lose weight in a healthy manner. Unfortunately, other social media posts prey on the insecurities of teenagers viewing the posts and can lead to the teens making decisions that have a negative impact on their health. Because of the rise in posts aimed at teens and other minors, social media platforms are facing increased pressure to control the type of posts, and the quality of the content, that is shared on their networks. One continuing concern is photo-sharing networks, such as Instagram, might feature posts that lead to lower self-esteem among teen users of the platform and even cause unhealthy weight loss habits.
Due to the increasing demand for more rules and responsible guidelines for posts on Instagram related to cosmetic surgery and weight loss, the social media platform has started to prevent posts that can negatively influence younger users of the platform by tightening the rules related to posts about cosmetic surgeries such as liposuction as well as posts about weight loss methods.
Just last month, Instagram made a policy change that will impact users that post content pertaining to cosmetic surgery and weight loss. The rules will be enforced on a case by case basis. For some Instagram users, their posts will have a reduced reach because they will be blocked from appearing in the Instagram feeds of minors. In other cases, the posts about cosmetic surgery and weight loss by these Instagram users will be entirely removed from the platform.
Instagram has not issued any sort of official rules or guidance on the matter. In other words, marketers and other Instagram users are waiting to see a set of official rules from the social media platform. Any new polices or set of rules are announced by a press statement so individual marketers and bigger marketing companies have a clear idea about what is, and isn’t, allowed when it comes to marketing posts. For now, marketers that do business on Instagram simply have to rely on the statements they see in media reports and news stories.
During an interview with the BBC, Emma Collins, the public policy manager for Instagram said, “We want Instagram to be a positive place for everyone that uses it, and this policy is part of our ongoing work to reduce the pressure that people can sometimes feel as a result of social media.”
The BBC report added “Unrealistic ‘get thin quick’ promotions will be taken down, and young people will be restricted from viewing some posts related to dieting and cosmetic surgery if they have an incentive to buy.”
Even though most of the headlines and stories about this new policy mentioned Instagram, it stands to reason that the changes in policy about cosmetic surgery and weight loss posts will also apply to Facebook. The main reason for this assumption is the fact that Facebook owns Instagram. Facebook bought the photo-sharing app back in 2012. Many business experts feel that it would not look good in the eyes of the public if Instagram made a change in its policies but Facebook did not follow suit since it is the parent company, Even though Facebook made an update to its policies earlier this year to address issues related to sensational medical claims, the latest actions by the company move things forward a bit for the social media site.
In the past, polices regarding marketing posts were focused on advertising and groups. The latest measures will work to target specific posts that can be marked for removal along with blocking any content from being viewed by minors that is considered to be questionable. In addition, the users of Facebook will be able to report any posts they view on the social media platform that they feel violates the new policies. Once the posts are flagged, they will be reviewed by Instagram or Facebook (depending on which platform the ad is viewed by the user) to see if the post should be allowed to remain on the platform.
Because they are still waiting for an official press statement from Instagram and Facebook, the majority of marketers are still unsure where the line in the sand is when it comes to acceptable posts and promotions about weight loss and cosmetic surgery. Many business experts assume that the marketing categories that will be targeted the most include over the counter weight loss products that make claims about their results that can be viewed as being unrealistic as well as “detox” teas and other supplements. Emma Collins told the BBC that Instagram and Facebook are seeking advice from social media policy experts in order to properly move forward in the near future.
While the new rules will not impact the educational and medically accurate information found on posts by Cosmetic Town on Instagram, our research team will monitor the policy changes made by the social media platform to ensure its viewers receive information that helps people of all ages make informed decisions about having cosmetic surgery.
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