Exciting news! I Weigh has joined forces with Harvard STRIPED, the National Eating Disorders Association and Representative Khan of Massachusetts to support legislation that will protect and promote body confidence in young people.

“As someone who struggled with an eating disorder for most of my youth, I have personally known and suffered the long term effects of the devious side of the diet/detox industry,” said Jameela. “ I am committed to this fight and proud to stand with Massachusetts as they consider signing legislation to protect the physical and mental health of young people.”  

Here’s more info on the bills we’re supporting:

• H.1942 “An Act protecting children from harmful diet pills and muscle-building supplements”
• H.3892 “An Act relative to mental health promotion through realistic advertising images”

Both these bills set a precedent that we have to protect our youth and educate lawmakers about the slippery slope from diet products to eating disorders as well as the harmful ads that show unrealistic images to them and create these unattainable and unhealthy ideals.  

To learn more about these bills take a look at the below, and we’ll keep you posted on how you can join forces with us as we continue the fight!  #AlteredAds, #DietPills, #OutofKidsHands

H.1942 “An Act protecting children from harmful diet pills and muscle-building supplements” 

• Restricts the sale of weight-loss and muscle-building supplements to adults, making it illegal to sell to minors 18-and-under, and require businesses to keep these products behind a counter or in a locked case to make sure that they stay out of the hands of minors. 
• MA would be the first state in the country to take legal measures to protect young people from these dangerous and deceptive products if the act is passed into law
• Since 1994, the number of dietary supplements on the U.S. market has increased from 4,000 to over 85,000 products, generating more than $40 billion in revenue per year
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not require pre-market testing for the efficacy and safety of dietary supplements, thereby increasing the dangers of their use.
• According to a study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, an estimated 23,000 people in the U.S. are sent to the ER each year for reasons related to dietary supplements. Among women, nearly a third of those cases are due to the use of weight-loss pills.
• Recent study by Harvard professor Dr. Bryn Austin and STRIPED found that weight-loss and muscle-building supplements, compared to vitamins, are nearly three times more likely to cause severe injury in young people, which could lead to hospitalization, disability, or death.
• Eating disorders constitute some of the deadliest psychiatric illnesses and plague 30 million Americans across all genders, racial and ethnic groups, and class backgrounds in their life

H.3892 “An Act relative to mental health promotion through realistic advertising images”

• Act would incentivize businesses in Massachusetts by offering a ‘realistic advertising’ tax credit to companies who pledge to not digitally alter the skin tone, age, body size, or body shape of models in advertisements.
• MA would be the first state to set a new standard for advertising across the nation through incentives to protect the mental health of vulnerable young people if passed