Skip to main content

Instagram restricts influencer posts for diet and cosmetic surgery products

Instagram says that from this week it will place restrictions on posts linked to particular diet products and cosmetic surgery procedures, and in some cases remove them entirely. The new rules will also affect Facebook, Instagram’s parent company.

The move comes in response to an uptick in marketing posts by popular influencers on the photo-sharing site — specifically, those promoting products such as diet drinks and supplements, as well as some cosmetic surgery procedures. It’s believed that such posts increase pressure on some younger users, compounding worries about body image or how they should live their lives.

Posts that promote certain weight loss products or feature deals or prices for cosmetic surgery will now be removed from the feeds of Instagrammers below the age of 18, or removed from the platform entirely, the company told London’s Evening Standard on Wednesday. Similar products that claim to offer “miraculous” results will also be removed, Instagram said.

“The policy means that posts promoting products such as diet teas with a caption like ‘this helped me to lose 10 pounds really fast’ with a discount code to purchase will be removed,” the Standard said in its report.

A further measure involves a new way to enable people to report posts that appear to flout the guidelines but which have not been picked up by Instagram’s algorithms.

Branded “miracle” claims

Emma Collins, Instagram’s Public Policy Manager, told the Standard: “It’s not in the interest of the broader community to be exposed to these kinds of branded ‘miracle’ claims. We’ve also gone a step further where young people are concerned, and the action that we’re taking for under 18s is that any branded promotion of weight loss products or undertaking of cosmetic procedures will be restricted so under 18s won’t see them.”

Some, however, will question the effectiveness of the age restriction as it relies on the honesty of young users when they set up their account.

In other comments posted by the Guardian, Collins said that Instagram had sought guidance from experts in the relevant fields “to ensure that any steps to restrict and remove this content will have a positive impact on our community of over one billion people … whilst ensuring Instagram remains a platform for expression and discussion.”

Digital Trends has reached out to Instagram for more details about its decision to restrict posts relating to some forms of dieting and cosmetic surgery and we will update this article if we hear back.

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
How to post on Instagram from your PC or Mac
how to view instagram stories on your computer laptop

In recent years, Instagram has become a popular way for friends and family to connect, one that allows us to quickly share photos, videos, and snippets of our daily lives. Android and iOS users have the luxury of downloading the Instagram app via the Google Play Store and App Store, but what about Windows and MacOS users? Thankfully, although Instagram does not officially support desktop-based uploading, there is a workaround.

Follow the guide below as we walk you through posting to Instagram from your PC.

Read more
Ikea’s latest ad campaign features a CGI influencer
ikeas latest ad campaign features a cgi influencer imma ikea

Ikea tapped an unusual influencer for its latest ad campaign — a CGI model. 

The Japan ad campaign called Happiness At Home With Imma features a CGI Instagram “influencer” known as Imma, who has over 263,000 followers on Instagram.

Read more
Instagram plays catch-up by finally paying its creators. Will they stay?
Instagram creators

Instagram announced Wednesday it will start paying influencers a share of advertising revenue, joining competitors YouTube and TikTok in paying its creators. But the move begs the question: Why has it taken Instagram so long to join its peers -- and is the move enough to keep creators on the platform?

It may be surprising to learn that Instagram wasn’t already taking measures to ensure creators stuck with the platform instead of jumping ship to another that actually pays them for the engagement and users they bring.

Read more