Instagram has become a very powerful tool for marketing and promotion. And influencers on these platforms are the kings and queens. Youngsters tend to follow these influencers to get inspired and entertained.
However, this inspiration can get negative when these influencers promote products and posts that make the teens question themselves about their body image, especially in their formative years. Instagram wishes to change that.?
Reuters
Facebook-owned Instagram will now restrict posts on its platform that promote weight-loss products or cosmetic surgery to users below 18-years of age.?
Such posts are commonly seen by influencer-based marketing channels where they make certain 'miraculous claims' about diets and food that helps in weight loss. Instagram sensation Kylie Jenner is one such sensation that is known to promote weight-loss detox tea brands. Kim and Khloe Kardashian are known to influence similarly too.
As per Instagram's advertising policy, such posts are not permitted to be published in the first place. However, they end up coming through such channels, which now Instagram is trying to nail down.
If Instagram feels, it could completely remove the post too. It can apply an age-restriction in situations where it asks people to buy the promoted goods, whether directly or using a promo-code (which has been commonly witnessed on various influencer-based posts).?
Reuters
Emma Collins, Instagram's public policy manager said in a statement "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."
She has also stated, in an interview with the London Evening Standard that Instagram as worked with external experts to make this change without altering or ruining the spirit of the platform.