The UK advertising watchdog has banned an Instagram post by TV personality Gemma Collins, in which she promoted a headset as a treatment for depression.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that the advert discouraged seeking professional medical advice.
In the video, posted in May 2023, Collins wore a Flow Neuroscience AB device, a £400 headset that delivers mild electrical impulses to the brain’s frontal cortex, which regulates mood. Collins claimed, “Flow actually works faster and better than antidepressants. It’s like having your own therapist in the comfort of your own home. You’re fully in control of your own treatment.”
UK advertising regulations state that marketing must not “discourage essential treatment for which medical supervision should be sought.” The ASA determined that Collins’ endorsement suggested the device was a favourable alternative to prescribed medication, thereby encouraging viewers to bypass medical supervision.
Despite Collins’ assertion that her ad included a text caption advising viewers to “consult your GP always without fail,” the ASA noted that this only encouraged a preliminary consultation and failed to meet the requirement for ongoing medical supervision. The ASA concluded, “The implication was that people who started to use the device would be able to stop their medication shortly after and without medical supervision. We considered that the ad trivialised the decision to come off antidepressants or not take them at all and encouraged people to take their treatment into their own hands.”
Gemma Collins, known for her role in the reality TV show The Only Way is Essex, is now a TV personality and podcaster.
In a separate ruling, the ASA banned an advert by Virgin Atlantic for making a misleading claim about using “100% sustainable aviation fuel.” The radio ad promoted the first transatlantic flight powered solely by sustainable aviation fuels. The ASA, which has recently cracked down on “greenwashing” claims, stated that the ad gave a misleading impression of the fuel’s environmental impact.
Miles Lockwood, ASA’s director of complaints and investigation, commented, “It’s important that claims for sustainable aviation fuel spell out what the reality is so consumers aren’t misled into thinking that the flight they are taking is greener than it really is. Claiming that a product or service is sustainable creates an impression that it is not causing harm to the environment, and for that reason, we expect to see robust evidence that this is the case.”
This is the first time the ASA has banned an ad over claims regarding sustainable aviation fuels, which are crucial for the airline industry’s goal to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.