Select committee: Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 10
Second Report - The impact of body image on mental and physical health
Published 2 Aug 2022
Paragraph 69
Addressed to Department of Health and Social Care
Health and Social Care Committee The impact of body image on mental and physical health All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
We echo the call of our witness Professor Sandeep Ranote for the creation of a national public health strategy akin to the 1970s ‘Green Cross Code’. A ‘Screen Cross Code’ would be a nationwide public health campaign, which would use short effective messages to educate the public on best practice with screen use for children and young people, as well as the potential negative health impacts resulting from excessive screen use or exposure to content that may lead to body dissatisfaction. This should include limits on daily screen use, promotion of social media sabbaticals, having digital sunrises/sunsets, as well as prompts to encourage discussion between parents and their children if there is content that could cause concern relating to body image and self-esteem. We recommend that the Department of Health and Social Care plays a leading role, in collaboration with the Department for Education and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, in this work, given its implications for young people’s health.
From: Health and Social Care Committee, Second Report - The impact of body image on mental and physical health (HC 114), paragraph 69, 2 August 2022
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 7 February 2023 (deadline 2 October 2022).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government "strongly agrees" there is a need for cross-government work on body image, but says there is not an immediate need for a standalone strategy and that it will not meet the committee's timeline for licensing non-surgical cosmetic procedures.
- On eating disorders, it expects them to be considered within the major conditions strategy (interim report due in the summer), so "does not intend to publish a separate national eating disorder strategy". It accepts the research part of the recommendation.
- It agrees that diagnosis and treatment of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a priority, but says this is "best achieved through the current training, referral routes and curriculum".
- On non-surgical cosmetic procedures, it is taking forward a licensing scheme but says it "will not be able to meet the timeline recommended by the committee". DHSC will agree the procedures in scope and communicate a plan for delivery by July 2023.
- On screen time, it says much more research is needed before national guidance. DHSC will work with DCMS and DfE on gathering evidence "before deciding whether to progress with a nationwide public health campaign", which would be contingent on future funding settlements.