Young girls get impressed very quickly and can badly suffer from that. Sometimes Instagram, being way too filled with images of perfect women, can threaten a teenage girl’s psychics. The same can be said about weight loss products and cosmetic procedures that promise wonders. Young girls get excited about every new product (especially those advertised by influencers) that is promised to make their body slimmer without training, or their facial traits sexier irrespective of their natural look or young age. Most often, these girls do not pay attention to warnings or contradictions. As a result, many cases of wrong product use or terrible side effects occur. To show that Instagram cares about its young users and avoid all this, social media is going to restrict people under 18 from seeing those posts which promote weight loss products and cosmetic surgeries. InstaBF, a reputable Instagram and IGTV provider, is going to speak about Instagram’s new policy targeting at the rapidly growing side of influencer marketing that is quite controversial. If you are under 18 or care about a certain Instagram user under 18 years old, this article can be of special importance to you.
Details about the New Policy
Although not implied yet, certain details of the new policy are already known. Instagram is going to apply this restriction on those posts which contain an incentive to buy or which state the product’s price. Furthermore, in case the post promises “miraculous” results of a weight loss product or diet, and contain any type of a commercial offer such as a discount code, it will not only be hidden from the eyes of teenagers but even removed from Instagram.
Generally, the advertising guidelines and policies of Instagram didn’t ever encourage the promotion of such types of products. It was always banned. But the latest growth of such ads among influencers has made this social media platform take additional actions. And since Instagram is a subsidiary company of Facebook, this policy refers to both platforms.
According to Emma Collins, the public policy manager of Instagram, by this step, they wish to reduce any pressure that one can feel when using Instagram.
There have been quite many conversations about the huge role that Instagram plays in the youth’s behavior, their perception of life and themselves. Having around 150 million followers, Kim Kardashian, for instance, can easily impact at least the two-third of her followers, i.e. around 100 million people! When she promotes a weight loss product or a plastic surgery, her fans take that as sincere advice, honest recommendation. But the thing is that everything is not always that simple. Influencers and celebrities often advertise products that don’t always work or are potentially harmful to younger buyers.
The policy targeted at the fast-growing and controversial sect of influencer marketing is sure to evolve, yet. It’s a definite positive step in protecting younger users’ physical and psychical health at least on the social media platform.