Stronger regulation that is ‘properly enforced’ is needed to protect children from online marketing of appearance-changing products, a report by the Children’s Commissioner for England has said.
Published last week, A healthy influence? Children’s exposure to appearance-changing products online found that children are ‘regularly exposed’ online to products that ‘claim to make changes to their bodies and appearance’.
They include products that promote weight loss – such as exercise or diet plans and prescription-only weight loss drugs – and muscle-building supplements. They also include ‘skin lightening’ products, fillers and Botox.
In a survey conducted in December 2025 with 2,000 respondents, 78% of children reported that exposure to appearance-altering products online had a negative impact on their self-esteem.
It also revealed that black (46%) and Asian (35%) children were more likely than white children (24%) to see products that claim to lighten skin online and more likely to use these products. This is despite some products containing toxic ingredients and others being illegal to sell.
The report also said that boys (43%) were more likely than girls (32%) to see supplements for muscle building.
And it revealed that 8% of children had bought or tried non-prescription pills that claim to help people lose weight. These products are often age-restricted to over-18s.
Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, described the findings as ‘deeply concerning’.
She said the worry was ‘not just the kind of products being promoted to children but the way in which advertising content preys on their fragile sense of self-esteem’.
She said the report illustrated ‘the limitations of any kind of “ban”’, with 41% of children found to have seen prescription-only weight loss drugs online, despite an advertising ban.
‘Introducing a ban is not an immediate guarantee that children are safer. In many ways, deciding to impose a ban is the easy bit. The hard work is making sure a ban is workable, well-understood, easily enforced and has teeth,’ said Dame Rachel.
She added that the Online Safety Act 2023, which provided more protection for children and adults online, ‘must continue to evolve in strength and scope’.
On 15 February, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced new measures aimed at keeping children safe online.
As well as a crackdown on illegal content created by AI, Mr Starmer said the government was taking new legal powers to enable immediate action following its consultation on children’s wellbeing online, which is expected to launch next month.
He said the government was ‘closing loopholes that put children at risk and laying the groundwork for further action’.
Chris Sherwood, chief executive of children’s charity NSPCC, said: ‘Much of what is being proposed mirrors what we have been pressing for: proper age‑limit enforcement, an end to addictive design, and stronger action from platforms, devices, and AI tools to stop harmful content at the source.
‘Delivered swiftly, these measures would offer far better protection than a blanket ban.’
The Commissioner’s report is based on a poll of 2,000 young people in England, aged 13-17 years.
A government spokesperson said: ‘The Online Safety Act includes some of the strongest online safety protections in the world’.
The spokesperson pointed to the Child Safety Duties under the Act, which mandate that social media companies protect under-18s from harmful content, including material that encourages, promotes, or provides instructions for eating disorders, self-harm and suicide.
They 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.’
