Children in England Face Online 'Bombardment' of Harmful Products
Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children's Commissioner for England, has issued an urgent call for action to prevent the online world from profiting from children's insecurities. New research reveals that teenagers across England are being systematically exposed to dangerous and age-restricted products through digital platforms.
Widespread Exposure to Dangerous Content
The comprehensive study, conducted for the Children's Commissioner, found that young people aged 13 to 17 are routinely encountering harmful products across social media, video games, and mobile applications. The research paints a concerning picture of digital environments where potentially dangerous substances are being normalised to vulnerable audiences.
Among the alarming statistics revealed:
- 41% of teenagers reported seeing prescription-only weight-loss drugs online
- 27% had encountered potentially toxic skin-whitening creams
- 24% had viewed steroids and other muscle-building substances
Young people reported encountering these products through various channels, including lifestyle influencer content, advertising from small-scale content creators, and within gaming environments. This exposure occurs despite many of these products being legally banned for under-18s in the United Kingdom.
Damaging Impact on Young People's Wellbeing
The research highlights significant consequences for children's mental health and self-esteem. More than three-quarters of the 2,000 teenagers surveyed reported that exposure to these products negatively affected their self-perception and confidence.
Dame Rachel de Souza emphasised the severity of the situation, stating: "Extreme and potentially dangerous appearance-changing products are being normalised to children through advertising, influencer culture and online posts, despite many of these products being unsafe, illegal or strictly age-restricted. For their developing and fragile sense of self-esteem, this is immensely damaging."
The report follows previous research from the Children's Commissioner that found only 40% of girls and 60% of boys were happy with their appearance, indicating a broader context of body image concerns among young people.
Additional Concerning Findings
The study uncovered further troubling patterns in children's online experiences:
- More than half of children reported seeing advertisements for food and drinks claiming to aid weight loss
- Similar numbers had encountered exercise and diet plans promoted online
- One in five teenagers had purchased or tried weight-loss food products
- 8% had bought or experimented with non-prescription weight-loss pills
- Two-thirds of children (66%) had seen teeth-whitening products online
- More than half of girls (56%) had viewed content about cosmetic procedures like fillers or Botox
Some children reported adverse physical reactions after trying appearance-changing products discovered online, including infections from eyelash products containing undisclosed chemicals.
Ethnic Inequalities and Regulatory Concerns
The research revealed stark ethnic disparities in exposure and engagement with harmful products. Black children were more likely to report trying weight-loss products, while significantly higher proportions of black and Asian teenagers reported seeing advertisements for skin-lightening creams. Many of these products are illegal in the UK, raising serious questions about enforcement and regulation.
Calls for Comprehensive Action
The report comes as the government consults on potential measures including a social media ban for under-16s. However, Dame Rachel de Souza cautioned that such restrictions alone would not provide an "immediate guarantee" of children's online safety.
She argued for more nuanced approaches: "Any ban must respond to what children think and how they behave online, with a clear plan of how it will be enforced so that it does not drive children to other, darker parts of the internet."
The report recommends several specific measures:
- A complete ban on all advertising to children on social media platforms
- Strengthening Ofcom's children's code of practice to explicitly protect children from body stigma content
- Stronger regulation and enforcement of online sales of age-restricted products
- Creating online environments that are "truly safer by design"
Dame Rachel concluded with a powerful statement: "Urgent action is needed to create an online world that is truly safer by design. We cannot continue to accept an online world that profits from children's insecurities and constantly tells them they need to change or must be better."
Government Response and Future Measures
A government spokesperson responded to the findings, highlighting existing protections under the Online Safety Act while acknowledging the need for continued action: "The Online Safety Act includes some of the strongest online safety protections in the world and just this week we launched a dedicated campaign helping parents to support their children in dealing with harmful content such as body-shaming, rage bait and misogyny."
The spokesperson added: "We were always clear that the act wasn't the end of the conversation, nor is anything off the table when it comes to children's safety. That's why we're launching a national consultation on bold measures to protect children online, from banning social media for under-16s to tackling addictive design features."
The research underscores the urgent need for coordinated action between regulators, technology companies, and policymakers to create safer digital environments for young people across England.
