Influencer Marketing: MPs call for advertising shake up and rules to protect children and influencers.
A new report by the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee is calling for legislation to protect child influencers, as well as stricter sanctions for both the Competition & Markets Authority and the ASA.
Last March, a DCMS Select Committee was set up to examine the power of influencers on social media and its absence of regulation. This involved a closer look at the dangers the industry poses on the mental, financial, and physical health of society involving experts, the social media platforms, and influencers themselves. The report published last week notes that the fast paced growth of the influencer industry has resulted in regulatory gaps around advertising disclosure and protecting children.
MP Julian Knight, Chair of the DCMS Committee said ‘The explosion in influencer activity has left the authorities playing catch-up and exposed the impotence of advertising rules and employment protections designed for a time before social media was the all-encompassing behemoth it has become today.
This report has held a mirror up to the problems which beset the industry, where for too long it has been a case of lights, camera, inaction. It is now up to the Government to reshape the rules to keep pace with the changing digital landscape and ensure proper protections for all.’
Amongst all the recommendations that the reports made, these were the DCMS Committee’s top five;
- The Government must conduct an industry review immediately
- A Government commissioned Industry Code of Conduct needs to be put in place
- More powers should be given to the Advertising Standards Agency
- Mandatory advertising disclosure when targeting ads to children
- Address child labour legislation
The DCMS report is packed with recommendations that will transform the influencer industry from the Wild West that it currently is, and we can only hope that the Government sits up and takes notice. Not since the 19th century Factory Acts has it been so vital to protect working children from mistreatment, and an investigation into influencer pay standards to prevent the inequality and exploitation that third parties and the platforms themselves are responsible for is also urgently required.
Furthermore, stricter powers for the Competition & Markets Authority and the ASA to penalise influencers who break the rules when it comes to disclosure and labelling their posts are long overdue. PromoVeritas have been working with the CMA, ISBA and the ASA for a long time now to educate brands and their talent about following influencer marketing rules but without stricter sanctions these remain largely ignored.