Wed, 11 Feb 2026

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 Children bombarded with weight loss drug ads online, says commissioner

The Children's Commissioner suggested social media advertising for children should be banned.

* A report by the Children's Commissioner for England found that children aged 13-17 are being bombarded with adverts online for weight loss products and other body-altering products, despite this kind of advertising being banned.
* The report found that young people are being exposed to ads for: + Weight loss injections and pills + Diet food or drinks + Skin-lightening products (which can be illegal to sell in the UK) + Cosmetic procedures such as lip fillers
* A spokesperson for Ofcom said that tech firms should not prioritize engagement over children's online safety.
* Dr. Peter Macaulay, a senior lecturer in Psychology at the University of Derby, said that ending advertising to children on social media is a "necessary step".
* The report suggests several solutions, including: + Amending the Online Safety Act (OSA) to include a "clear duty of care" for social media platforms to stop showing adverts to children + Adding changes to Ofcom's Children's Code of Practice to explicitly protect children from body stigma content + Stronger regulation and enforcement of online sales of age-restricted products
* The government has launched a national consultation on "bold measures to protect children online", including potentially banning social media for under 16s.
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