New laws in Norway will require any photos posted on social media by influencers and celebrities that include edited faces and bodies to have a disclaimer on them, in a bold attempt to curb unrealistic beauty standards online.
The amendment to the Marketing Act, brought in by Norway’s Ministry of Children and Family Affairs, makes it illegal to publish any images of models or influencers that have been retouched without disclosing that the person in the picture has been edited.
Dazed reports that the new laws were passed in a landslide 72-15 vote in early June, ruling that any pictures or adverts used for promotional purposes that include imagery of people with altered body shape, size, or skin must also include a label designed by the government.
It just has to be approved by the King of Norway before it is fully legislated in Norwegian law.
The new laws apply to any photos or videos that involve people with altered bodies – either before or after the photo/video is taken – including things like enlarged lips, edited muscles and waistlines. This implies the disclaimer may also need to be used in any advertisements or sponsored content that includes people with cosmetic surgery.
As per Dazed, this new law includes images shared by influencers and celebrities on all social media platforms – including TikTok and Instagram – where they’ve either been paid or been given any other benefits in exchange for posts promoting products or services.
In a statement, the Ministry of Children and Family Affairs says it hopes the new law and mandatory labels will help curb the amount of “body pressure” online, and quash the negative impact that social media advertising can have on people, especially children.
“Body pressure is present in the workplace, in the public space, in the home, and in various media,” the Ministry said.
“A requirement for retouched or otherwise manipulated advertising to be marked is one measure against body pressure will hopefully make a useful and significant contribution to curbing the negative impact that such advertising has, especially on children and young people.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CO8F_nJDR0i/
Considering some influencers struggle to remember to pop that #ad tag on their sponcon – and have been pinged on it time and time again – I can’t imagine what it’d be like if the Aussie ad standards board followed Norways steps with a full disclaimer setup.
