Norway to introduce law requiring influencers to declare retouched photos on social media
The legislation is being brought in to combat unrealistic beauty standards
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Influencers in Norway are now required by law to label when their images on social media have been retouched.
The new regulations from Norway’s Ministry of Children and Family Affairs have been brought in to try and fight unrealistic beauty standards.
Earlier this month, the law passed with 72 officials voting in favour and 15 voting against it. The King of Norway will later decide when it will come into effect.
When the law is implemented, it will require influencers who are making money from their content, to label when an image has been retouched.
This includes alterations that have been made to the subject’s body size, shape, or skin, either before - like through a filter - or after the image has been taken.
Specific examples include enlarged lips, edited muscles and cinched waistlines.
Images that have been retouched will be legally required to carry a label designed by the government that alerts the viewer.
Advertisers who use social media content for promotional purposes will also be affected by the law.
In addition, influencers and celebrities who post on social media sites will be obliged to comply if they “receive any payment or other benefits” from the posts.
A 2019 study found that viewing images of cosmetically enhanced females increased the desire for cosmetic surgery among women aged between 18 and 29 years old.
In Norway, debate around “kroppspress”, which translates to “body pressure”, has been taking place.
In the proposed amendments sent to the Norwegian parliament, the ministry said: “The measure will hopefully make a useful and significant contribution to curbing the negative impact that such advertising has, especially on children and young people.”
In 2017, image database site Getty Images announced it would ban photos of retouched models. In the same year, France brought in legislation requiring magazines to say when an image has been retouched.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments