Pinterest bans weight-loss ads: Body acceptance is in, BMI is out

Pinterest said it is banning all weight-loss ads from its platform starting July 1, describing itself as the first major social media service to do so. The company said the new policy "embraces body acceptance" at a delicate time for many people as they emerge from the pandemic.

The company noted the policy is an expansion of its guidelines that had previously banned body-shaming and dangerous weight-loss products. The new ban goes several steps beyond that by prohibiting any weight-loss language or imagery, testimonials about weight loss and references to body mass index, or BMI, among other content. The decision comes amid a broader body-positivity movement that is aimed at accepting people of all sizes. But Pinterest also noted that its ban on weight-loss ads comes as the U.S. emerges from the pandemic, and that there has been a "steep rise in unhealthy eating habits and eating disorders in young people since the COVID-19 pandemic started last year."