Twelfth report - Influencer culture: Lights, camera, inaction?
- HC No.
- HC 258
- Published
- 9 May 2022
- Items
- 6
- Response
- Response document linked Read government response ↗
Select Committee · Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Influencer culture
Status: Closed
Opened: 26 Mar 2021
Closed: 23 Sep 2022
6 recommendations
1 report
Inquiry scope
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 influencer impact when it comes to media and popular culture as well as the positive role they can play, such as raising awareness for a campaign addressing vaccine hesitancy among people from ethnic minority backgrounds. Read the key points in an interactive summary of the report .Reports
Recommendations & Conclusions
We recommend that the Government add to clauses 17 and 18 of the Online Safety...
Recommendation · source text
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
We recommend that the Advertising Standards Authority introduce a requirement to the UK Code of...
Recommendation · source text
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
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
We recommend that the Government commission an industry partner to develop a code of conduct...
Recommendation · source text
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 by the ISBA, could provide a useful starting point, although it would require amendments to ensure all relevant stakeholders were represented. Pay rates Brand deals
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
We recommend that the remit of the CAP code be extended by removing the requirement...
Recommendation · source text
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.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
We recommend that the ASA be given statutory powers to enforce the CAP Code.
Recommendation · source text
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
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
We recommend that the CMA report to our Committee on the progress, costs, and results...
Recommendation · source text
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 Markets Authority (pursuant to Section 219 of the Enterprise Act 2002 (EA02)) relating to the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, (10 October 2020) 278 Ibid., undertaking 17 279 Q408 [George Lusty] 280 Competition and Markets Authority (INF0027) 281 Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Reforming competition and consumer policy, (20 July 2021) 282 Competition and Markets Authority (INF0027) Infuencer culturee Lights, camera, inactionn 35 5 Children Children as viewers Benefits and risks
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Oral evidence sessions
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| Date | Session and witnesses | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 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 ↗ |
Who gave evidence
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| Witness | Organisation | Sessions |
|---|---|---|
| Abbie Richards | — | 1 |
| Amy Bryant-Jeffries · Business Director, Talent and Partnerships | Gleam Futures | 1 |
| Amy Hart | — | 1 |
| Becca Lewis | — | 1 |
| Ben Jeffries · Chief Executive and Co-Founder | Influencer.com | 1 |
| Chris Philp MP · Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy | Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport | 1 |
| Dr Catalina Goanta | — | 1 |
| Dr Crystal Abidin | — | 1 |
| Dr Francesca Sobande | — | 1 |
| Dr Giovanni De Gregorio | — | 1 |
| Dr Robyn Caplan | — | 1 |
| Dr Stephanie Alice Baker | — | 1 |
| Dr Ysabel Gerrard | — | 1 |
| Ed Magee · Chair | National Network for Children in Employment and Entertainment | 1 |
| Elizabeth Kanter · Director of Government Relations and Public Policy UK | TikTok | 1 |
| Em Sheldon | — | 1 |
| George Lusty · Interim Executive Director for Consumer Protection and Markets | Competition and Markets Authority | 1 |
| Guy Parker · Chief Executive | Advertising Standards Authority | 1 |
| Helen Wills · founder | Actually Mummy | 1 |
| Iain Bundred · Director of Policy and Public Affairs | BBC | 1 |
| Keith Weed · President | Advertising Association | 1 |
| Mark Griffin · Deputy Director, Creative Economy | Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport | 1 |
| Nicole Ocran | — | 1 |
| Professor Brooke Erin Duffy | — | 1 |
| Professor Sonia Livingstone | — | 1 |
| Ronan Costello · Senior Public Policy Manager EMEA | 1 | |
| Sara McCorquodale | — | 1 |
| Sarah Brin · Senior Outreach Producer | Media Molecule | 1 |
| Sarah Connolly · Director, Security and Online Harms | Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport | 1 |
| Sergei Urban · founder | The Dad Lab | 1 |
| Tom Gault · UK and Northern Europe Public Policy Lead | 1 |
Correspondence
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| Published | Direction | Letter |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Mar 2022 | To committee | Letter from Chris Philp MP, Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy, relating to Influencers oral evidence on 1 February, 28 February 2022 |