Recommendations & Conclusions
17 items
1
Recommendation
Sixth Report: Changing the perfect pict…
People face appearance-based discrimination on a daily basis, at work, in schools and in public spaces. Whilst we were disappointed not to hear from the Government Equalities Office on their assessment of appearance-based discrimination, we are pleased that the Government is undertaking research on the relationship between negative body image …
Government response. 2. EHRC have responded directly to the Committee, a copy of their response is attached. How can we stop negative body image affecting our mental and physical Health?
Government Equalities Office
2
Recommendation
Sixth Report: Changing the perfect pict…
Lockdown has undoubtedly worsened existing body image anxieties and inspired new insecurities for thousands of people across the country. In particular, we are alarmed by the rapidly rising rates in eating disorders and other mental health conditions. The impact of the pandemic, both on eating disorder sufferers and those at …
Government response. 2. EHRC have responded directly to the Committee, a copy of their response is attached. How can we stop negative body image affecting our mental and physical Health?
Government Equalities Office
3
Recommendation
Sixth Report: Changing the perfect pict…
Many organisations and academics have found that prevention and early intervention are likely to reduce eating disorder rates as well as hospitalisations and deaths. It is important that the alarming rise in eating disorder rates is addressed as the country reopens post-pandemic. We recommend that in the short term, the …
Government response. 4. Improving eating disorder services is a key priority for the government and a fundamental part of our commitment to improve mental health services. The Department has funded various studies through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) that aim …
Government Equalities Office
4
Recommendation
Sixth Report: Changing the perfect pict…
We are hugely saddened to hear of the number of people who have faced appearance and weight-based discrimination when accessing NHS services. There is no way to quantify the damage this has done to individuals’ mental and physical health. We are not satisfied with the use of BMI as a …
Government response. 4. Improving eating disorder services is a key priority for the government and a fundamental part of our commitment to improve mental health services. The Department has funded various studies through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) that aim …
Government Equalities Office
5
Recommendation
Sixth Report: Changing the perfect pict…
The current Obesity Strategy is at best ineffective and at worst perpetuating unhealthy behaviours. It is likely to be dangerous for those with negative body image, including those at risk of developing eating disorders. In the short term, we have specific concerns that calorie labelling will contribute to growth in …
Government response. Obesity is a complex problem caused by many different factors to which there is no single solution. It is a leading cause of serious diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, some cancers7 and is associated with poorer mental …
Government Equalities Office
6
Recommendation
Sixth Report: Changing the perfect pict…
We are disappointed to learn that there have been no reviews of the effectiveness of the current or previous obesity strategies, and we cannot support much-criticised and unevaluated weight-loss policies. The Government must only use evidence- based policies in its Obesity Strategy. The Government should urgently commission an independent review …
Government response. The Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) overarching, peer-reviewed evaluation strategy for the childhood obesity programme aims to maximise learning and feedback from what are clearly innovative interventions as well as supporting a wider programme of more cross-cutting research …
Government Equalities Office
7
Recommendation
Sixth Report: Changing the perfect pict…
Encouraging positive body image during childhood and adolescence must be a priority. We commend the Government for introducing body image into the RSHE curriculum last year and hope this creates an opportunity for schools to address the concerns young people have about their body image. We recommend that the Department …
Government response. The statutory relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum became compulsory in September 2020, with flexibilities introduced so schools did not have to start teaching until the summer terms 2021, to accommodate COVID-related school closures. Through statutory health education secondary-aged …
Government Equalities Office
8
Recommendation
Sixth Report: Changing the perfect pict…
Weighing children in primary schools under the National Child Measurement Programme is likely to cause harm to children’s mental health and could hinder the development of a positive body image. This is particularly damaging for Black children who are more likely to be incorrectly placed in the overweight or obese …
Government response. Public Health England (PHE) has a rigorous approach to reviewing the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) on an annual basis, which includes extensive review of evidence and consultation with stakeholders including families, and healthcare professionals across the fields of psychology, …
Government Equalities Office
9
Recommendation
Sixth Report: Changing the perfect pict…
The Committee is disappointed about the lack of diversity in adverts both on and offline. We urgently want to see more companies advertising with real images of people from a diverse range of ethnicities, abilities, sexualities, genders, body shapes and sizes. We know that advertising is a powerful driver of …
Government response. The ASA has a number of work streams that consider diversity in advertising and its impacts. One of these important strands is their work to review racial and ethnic stereotyping in advertising.28 The Government will continue to engage closely with …
Government Equalities Office
10
Recommendation
Sixth Report: Changing the perfect pict…
We commend the Government for launching a consultation on online advertising in the Spring and are encouraged that the ASA will be consulting on body image as well as racial stereotyping in 2021. We recommend that the Government works closely with the ASA to ensure its future work on body …
Government response. We will continue to work with industry and the ASA, who held a public consultation on cosmetic interventions in 202029 and are following this up with a call for evidence on body image.30 Government will remain closely in touch with …
Government Equalities Office
11
Recommendation
Sixth Report: Changing the perfect pict…
Whilst the Committee was pleased to see that TfL has taken steps to protect Londoners from advertisements that could promote body dissatisfaction and bolster diverse advertising on their network, we were disappointed it had not been fully evaluated to properly assess the impact of their policy, both on their consumers …
Government response. As part of the Government’s Online Advertising Programme we will further engage with stakeholders such as TfL and the wider advertising ecosystem on this issue. We will provide the Committee with an update in November on our findings, as part …
Government Equalities Office
12
Recommendation
Sixth Report: Changing the perfect pict…
We were pleased to hear from companies who are committed to advertising their products by using real, honest images. However, a significant number of advertisers continue to rely heavily on image editing. It is clear that the constant bombardment of editing images both on and offline is detrimental to mental …
Government response. It is not the government’s current intention to legislate on altered images in advertising. We want to make sure that any government intervention on body image makes a real and positive difference. At present, there is insufficient evidence to conclude …
Government Equalities Office
13
Recommendation
Sixth Report: Changing the perfect pict…
The Committee was pleased to see some progress on the Government’s Online Harms legislation during our inquiry. We are of the view that any online content and activity that contributes to the proliferation of negative body image is a ‘harm’ The Online Harms Bill should be a legislative priority and …
Government response. The Online Safety Bill was published in draft on 12 May, and will be subject to pre- legislative scrutiny in this session. This is a major milestone in the development of a new regulatory framework which will hold platforms to …
Government Equalities Office
14
Recommendation
Sixth Report: Changing the perfect pict…
Despite the number of controls in place on social media platforms, users continuously experience content that, by the platforms’ own admission, shouldn’t be accessible. We 44 Changing the perfect picture: an inquiry into body image recommend that the Government should ensure that social media companies enforce their advertising rules and …
Government response. In the case of advertising, the ASA sets out the advertising rules for social media companies (and all other actors who advertise online) through their CAP codes. These codes form a self-regulatory framework that hold the advertising sector to account. …
Government Equalities Office
15
Recommendation
Sixth Report: Changing the perfect pict…
We were pleased to hear that the Government recognises the impact social media can have on body image and that it is encouraging social media companies to take more responsibility for the content on their platforms. We are also pleased that social media companies are committed to working with the …
Government response. We know that more needs to be done to understand the link between online harmful content and eating disorders. DHSC through the NIHR has funded a systematic review to explore the relationship between social networking sites and other online content …
Government Equalities Office
16
Recommendation
Sixth Report: Changing the perfect pict…
We welcome Ofcom’s role in regulating online harms and Parliament’s role in identifying harms. We recommend that the Government work closely with the UKRI and Ofcom to ensure that online harms legislation sufficiently encompasses protections from harms caused by body image pressures. We also ask that the Government engages with …
Government response. The legislation will define the harmful content and activity covered by the regime. This includes illegal content and activity, legal but harmful content and activity for children, and legal but harmful content and activity for adults. The government will set …
Government Equalities Office
17
Recommendation
Sixth Report: Changing the perfect pict…
Young people are particularly at risk of developing poor body image, and access to social media and other online content is linked with negative feelings about appearance. We recommend that the Government ensures that any age verification or assurance processes used by online companies are effective and protect young people …
Government response. The Online Safety Bill is intended to protect children wherever they are online. This includes services which are not targeted at children but which they are accessing. All services in scope will need to prove children are not accessing their …
Government Equalities Office