Select Committee · Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Influencer culture

Status: Closed Opened: 26 Mar 2021 Closed: 23 Sep 2022 6 recommendations 1 report

The inquiry will examine the power of influencers on social media, how influencer culture operates, and will consider the absence of regulation on the promotion of products or services, aside from the existing policies of individual platforms. Research showed that more than three-quarters of influencers “buried their disclosures within their posts”. It will also assess …

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Twelfth report - Influencer culture: Lights, camera, inacti… HC 258 9 May 2022 6 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

6 items
22 Recommendation Twelfth report - Influencer culture: Li…

We recommend that the Government add to clauses 17 and 18 of the Online Safety...

We recommend that the Government add to clauses 17 and 18 of the Online Safety Bill a requirement that reporting and complaints mechanisms, as outlined in new codes of practice created by Ofcom, must be tailored to the specific nature of various types of harms. Diversity

Department for Culture, Media and Sport
39 Recommendation Twelfth report - Influencer culture: Li…

We recommend that the Advertising Standards Authority introduce a requirement to the UK Code of...

We recommend that the Advertising Standards Authority introduce a requirement to the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising (CAP Code) for virtual influencers to be watermarked. Intermediaries

Government response. 1. We understand ‘virtual influencers’ are fictional, sometimes computer-generated people who typically have realistic characteristics, features and personalities of humans. The content they deliver is created by individuals, brands, agencies etc, who remain anonymous and faceless to the web-user. 2. …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
44 Recommendation Twelfth report - Influencer culture: Li…

We recommend that the Government commission an industry partner to develop a code of conduct...

We recommend that the Government commission an industry partner to develop a code of conduct for influencer marketing alongside relevant stakeholders. The Government should then promote this code as an example of best practice for deals between influencers and brands or talent agencies. The Influencer Marketing Code of Conduct, created …

Department for Culture, Media and Sport
69 Recommendation Twelfth report - Influencer culture: Li…

We recommend that the remit of the CAP code be extended by removing the requirement...

We recommend that the remit of the CAP code be extended by removing the requirement for editorial ‘control’ to determine whether content constitutes an advertisement.

Government response. 1. The ASA system ‘payment’ and ‘control’ tests have, for approximately 60 years, determined advertorial/native advertising that falls within the remit of the ASA system, and they help to ensure we—the advertising regulator—do not inappropriately extend our regulation to editorial …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
86 Recommendation Twelfth report - Influencer culture: Li…

We recommend that the ASA be given statutory powers to enforce the CAP Code.

We recommend that the ASA be given statutory powers to enforce the CAP Code. These powers should be considered as part of the Government’s upcoming Online Advertising Programme. Appropriate funding arrangements should also be considered to ensure that the ASA is able to act effectively on these enforcement powers. Monitoring

Government response. 1. We acknowledge this recommendation is directed at the Government Online Advertising Programme. 2. We welcome the Committee’s support for the CMA to receive greater powers to enforce consumer protection law. We would highlight also that Ofcom has new powers …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
97 Recommendation Twelfth report - Influencer culture: Li…

We recommend that the CMA report to our Committee on the progress, costs, and results...

We recommend that the CMA report to our Committee on the progress, costs, and results of their 2020 Facebook Ireland Ltd. undertakings. In doing so they should also provide updates on their progress securing undertakings from other social media platforms. 277 Competition and Markets Authority, Undertakings to the Competition and …

Government response. 11. The CMA has been investigating the role that platforms play in social media endorsements.6 As a result of this investigation, in October 2020, Facebook provided undertakings relating to its Instagram platform to tackle this issue.7 12. The undertakings included: …
Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Oral evidence sessions

7 sessions
Date Witnesses
1 Feb 2022 Chris Philp MP · Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Mark Griffin · Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Sarah Connolly · Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport View ↗
27 Jan 2022 George Lusty · Competition and Markets Authority, Guy Parker · Advertising Standards Authority View ↗
18 Jan 2022 Elizabeth Kanter · TikTok, Iain Bundred · BBC, Ronan Costello · Twitter, Tom Gault · Instagram View ↗
25 Nov 2021 Abbie Richards, Becca Lewis, Dr Giovanni De Gregorio, Dr Robyn Caplan, Dr Stephanie Alice Baker, Sara McCorquodale View ↗
2 Nov 2021 Dr Catalina Goanta, Dr Ysabel Gerrard, Ed Magee · National Network for Children in Employment and Entertainment, Helen Wills · Actually Mummy, Professor Sonia Livingstone, Sergei Urban · The Dad Lab View ↗
14 Sep 2021 Amy Bryant-Jeffries · Gleam Futures, Amy Hart, Ben Jeffries · Influencer.com, Nicole Ocran, Professor Brooke Erin Duffy View ↗
13 Jul 2021 Dr Crystal Abidin, Dr Francesca Sobande, Em Sheldon, Keith Weed · Advertising Association, Sarah Brin · Media Molecule View ↗

Correspondence

1 letter
DateDirectionTitle
8 Mar 2022 To cttee Letter from Chris Philp MP, Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy, relating…