ADVERTISING, THE MEDIA AND EATING DISORDERS

That this House notes that 1.6 million people in the UK are affected by eating disorders; further notes that an increasing body of research indicates that the media has a role in both providing a social context for the development and maintenance of eating disorders; further notes that the Royal College of Psychiatrists suggests that the irresponsible use of digital enhancement or airbrushing is one aspect of this problem; urges the Government to establish a forum for the development of an editorial ethical code regarding the media's portrayal of body critical issues and the Committee on Advertising Practice to introduce a kitemark scheme to declare the extent to which digital retouching technology has been used to create overly-perfected and unrealistic images of women and men, as suggested by the Royal College; and encourages the promotion of media literacy within schools as outlined by the eating disorders charity Beat in its new manifesto.