Norway to introduce law requiring influencers to declare retouched photos on social media

The legislation is being brought in to combat unrealistic beauty standards

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

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.