British cosmetics brand Lush is shutting down social media accounts Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok and Snapshat from Friday in an effort to address consumers’ mental health challenges, in particular where teenage girls are concerned.
In a statement on November 22nd, Lush, known for its effervescent bath balls and colourful soaps, adds that these accounts will remain disabled in the 48 countries where it operates until these platforms “take action to provide a safer environment for users”.
The group will however remain present on Twitter and YouTube.
U.S. whistle-blower Frances Haugen, a computer engineer who left Facebook in May, notably denounced the impact of social networks on children and accused the platforms of fuelling disinformation and the spread of hateful content.
The group says it has previously considered withdrawing from social media in the past but decided to take the plunge after recent revelations from “courageous whistle-blowers, which clearly lays out the known harms that young people are exposed to because of the current algorithms and loose regulation.”
“Something has to change,” insists the group hoping that “platforms will introduce strong best practice guidelines, and hopes that international regulation will be passed into law.”
