{"id":4941,"date":"2025-02-05T10:46:24","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T09:46:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leibniz-hbi.de\/?post_type=hbi-news&p=4941"},"modified":"2025-02-06T16:48:18","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T15:48:18","slug":"when-filtering-distorts-body-images","status":"publish","type":"hbi-news","link":"https:\/\/leibniz-hbi.de\/en\/hbi-news\/pressinfo\/when-filtering-distorts-body-image\/","title":{"rendered":"When Filtering Distorts Body Image"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hamburg, 5 February.2025. Beauty filters make it possible: flawless faces and toned bodies flood the social media feeds of children and young people. These images lead to comparisons that their own reflection often cannot keep up with. According to studies, this can lead to body image disorders as well as eating disorders. One frequently discussed solution is to label edited photos. However, this solution may not be as tempting and easy as it sounds. It could be more promising to start with the platforms’ algorithms. This is the conclusion of a report by the Leibniz Institute for Media Research |Hans-Bredow-Institut (HBI) on behalf of the Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Media (KJM).<\/p>\n

Dr. Marc Jan Eumann, chairman of the KJM and director of the Media Authority Rhineland-Palatinate: \u201cWith great reach comes great responsibility. Algorithms attack where the brains of young people are not yet mature and trigger dopamine releases. In view of the far-reaching social impact, the question arises as to whether the liability privileges of platforms are still appropriate in 2025. My answer is a clear no. It is time for platforms to actively take responsibility for content in order to protect young users.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Stephan Dreyer<\/a>, Senior Researcher for Media Law and Media Governance (HBI): \u201cLabeling requirements are very demanding control instruments. So if the goal is to avoid further increasing young people’s dissatisfaction with their own bodies, we need to discuss alternative approaches. Possibilities for improving the age-appropriate design of social media platforms are promising in this regard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eva-Maria Sommer, Director of the Media Authority Hamburg\/Schleswig-Holstein (MA HSH): \u201cChildren have a right to participate in digital media \u2013 without being harmed by it. The alternatives outlined in the report are an offer to the industry to work together quickly to find the best solutions. And not to wait again until the legislator has to intervene.\u201d<\/p>\n

Labeling Does Not Have the Desired Effect<\/h2>\n

Overall, the report concludes that an effective legal labeling requirement requires a range of conditions with regard to possible areas of application and the existing media law framework. Furthermore, labeling could even have the opposite effect according to the current state of research, in leading to more intensive scrutiny of labeled content. This could lead to increased dissatisfaction with one’s own body. In view of these studies, alternative regulatory approaches are gaining in importance.<\/p>\n

Adjusting the Logic of Recommendations<\/h2>\n

One promising approach starts directly with the platforms. Social media platforms influence the body image of young people through their recommendation algorithms by increasingly presenting similar, often unrealistic beauty ideals. Targeted adaptation of these algorithms could be an effective countermeasure to promote more diverse and realistic body images. Platforms could implement this voluntarily or as a measure under the Digital Services Act (DSA), for example by means of optional functions or warnings when content is selected in a one-sided way. It is crucial to strike a balance between the protection of minors and freedom of information.<\/p>\n

On the basis of the results, the KJM will now hold initial talks with platforms and legislators to present the findings of the report.<\/p>\n

Read the report (written in German) here.<\/a><\/p>\n

The Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Media is a body of the State Media Authorities and an expert committee made up of representatives from the federal government, the federal states and the State Media Authorities. In Germany, the KJM is the central supervisory body for the protection of minors in private broadcasting and on the internet.<\/p>\n

Contact for Media Enquiries<\/h2>\n

Dr. Marc Jan Eumann
\nChairman of the Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Media (KJM)<\/p>\n

Hanna Irabi
\nPublic Relations Officer, Protection of Minors in the Media
\nTelephone: +49 (0)30 2064690-59
\nMail: kjm@die-medienanstalten.de
\nwww.kjm-online.de \u25aa www.die-medienanstalten.de<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":4928,"template":"","categories":[144],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4941","hbi-news","type-hbi-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pressinfo"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhen Filtering Distorts Body Image - Leibniz Institut f\u00fcr Medienforschung | Leibniz Institute for Media Research<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Due to beauty filters, young people are often confronted with unrealistic beauty ideals on social media. This can lead to body image disorders as well as eating disorders. So should edited images be labeled? Not a good idea, says an expert opinion by the HBI on behalf of the KJM: The legal requirements for an enforceable legal regulation are high, and the positive effects of labeling are controversial. 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