There’s been a lot of debate about influencers and whether or not they have real jobs or any influence – last time my colleague looked at this he felt it was “hard to say” whether or not they had influence. I kind of disagree with his stance and if you use Instagram, then you’ll probably lean towards the view that influencers have a substantial amount of influence.
Instagram appears to believe so as well and is banning certain posts from influencers from appearing on the feeds of children below 18. Which kinds of posts particularly? The ones that promote weight loss procedures and cosmetic surgery.
We’ve all (IG users at least) come across posts from celebrities and influencers encouraging us to buy a certain weight-loss or fitness tea because that’s their favourite or it “works miracles”.
Unsurprisingly, such messaging on minors who are extremely conscious about their bodies -because, who doesn’t look awkward during adolescence- may reinforce thoughts of altering their bodies to look more attractive (i.e like influencers they see on social media).
In some instances not only will posts be hidden from minors but actually removed from Instagram altogether if they include an incentive to buy or contain the pricing of the product. Posts will also be removed if it “makes a miraculous claim about certain diet or weight loss products, and is linked to a commercial offer such as a discount code.”
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What’s your take?