New Norway law mandates social media influencers disclose photo editing

Norway has passed a law targeting photo editing in an attempt to address body image issues in society.

The new law mandates that content creators disclose when they’ve retouched or added a filter to a photo.

Any photo where “a body’s shape, size or skin has been changed by retouching or other manipulation” must be marked as edited, the legislation declares.

In addition to advertisers, the law also stipulates that celebrities and social media influencers must label altered images if they are paid or benefit in some way from the post.

The new rules passed overwhelmingly last month in the Norwegian Parliament, in a 72–15 vote, Yahoo News reports.

Editing photos plays into “social insecurity, bad conscience, low self-esteem” and “contributes to body pressure,” the Norwegian Ministry of Children and Family said. The law aims to put particular emphasis on how women are portrayed in society and how it contributes to insecurities.

“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,” the ministry said of the law, according to Vice.

The law, an amendment to the 2009 Marketing Act, needs to be approved by the king of Norway before it is enacted.