Screenshot of the cerebral ad that ran on Instagram6 The terms of service of the sites prohibit content that uses such images to promote healthcare products.
Forbes
An An ad that has been running on Instagram for the past few weeks shows a young woman sitting on a bed eating toaster pastries. It then conveys the message by eating a donut surrounded by popcorn, chips, donuts and other foods: “Those who live by emotion eat by emotion.” The ad suggests that obesity is five times more common in adults with ADHD, but that mental health startup could provide cerebral “tools and the right medication to change emotional habits.” The ad then smiles at the same woman and eats salad.
In December, Cerebral, which combines therapy and prescriptions for patients with mental health disorders, advertised more than 30 ads with the image, according to a Forbes Analysis confirmed the matter to Instagram on Friday Forbes That violated its principles regarding cerebral eating disorder and body image. “These ads violate our policy and have been removed.” We do not allow content that seeks to create negative self-image for the promotion of health-related products, “said Meta spokeswoman Stephanie Chan in a statement.
Cerebral did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The startup, which has cared for more than 200,000 patients since its launch in 2020, raised $ 300 million in December, led by Softbank Vision Fund 2, valued at $ 4.8 billion. Forbes Unicorn had earlier reportedly withdrawn the salaries and health benefits of hundreds of its therapists over the summer. One of Cerebral’s primary spokespersons is Olympic gymnast Simon Byles, who joined as chief impact officer last year and is frequently featured on its social media channels. The company often runs at least 90 Instagram ads at any given time according to its ad transparency page. Many advertisements, which promote weight loss, ADHD and anxiety medications, target young women in particular.
Both Instagram and its parent company Facebook have come under fire in recent months over how it can be harmful to conscious images on the platform, particularly as it first reported on teenage girls, according to internal documents related to body image and mental health. The Wall Street Journal. In February 2021, Instagram has publicly announced The new Eating Disorders policy prohibits “content that promotes or encourages self-harm and eating disorders.” The company bans “before-after” images and advertisements that use negative self-concepts; Advertising for weight loss products and cosmetics is restricted to people 18 years of age or older.
“Looking at pictures of people involved in eating disorders can be really challenging for people who are actively fighting, or at risk of fighting eating disorders,” said Lauren Smaller, senior director of programs at the National Eating Disorders Association. “We recommend avoiding these types of images whenever possible.”
But such content still appears on Instagram, as evidenced by the cerebral ad promotion. The ads ran under the headings “How ADHD affects eating habits”, “How ADHD can cause emotional eating” and “My ADHD forced me to overeat”. Although the young woman remained the same in almost every ad, the first few seconds of the ad were varied, showing the woman holding a cake in both hands and other images such as a glass filled with chocolate milk, a huge slice of cake, a plate filled with corn chips or cheese. Fill a mug with bricks.
The images call for overeating and an unhealthy relationship with food, which can be a trigger for people struggling with eating disorders. But the other problem is that representing chaotic eating through certain images can create a feeling that only those who crave those particular foods in this way have problems, says Smaller. “And it can be really difficult for people who can’t identify with these specific images to recognize that they can be treated on their own.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated on 1/22/21 at 2:45 pm that the following initial publication Instagram removed four additional cerebral ads containing this image.
If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, you can call the National Eating Disorders Helpline for help: 800-931-2237.
