International brand Lush exits Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Snapchat, until these platforms are able to put measures in place to offer a safer environment for its users. This new policy will be in effect in all 48 countries in which Lush operates. “Just as the evidence against climate change has been ignored and belittled for decades, the alarms about the serious effects of social media are barely heeded – the company said -. Lush, known for its avant-garde positions and for its willingness to stimulate change, has decided to tackle these serious problems by acting and giving a strong signal, without waiting for others to take note of the existence of a real problem ».
The company notes that “like many teenagers before us, Lush has tried to quit social media in the past, but our FOMO (‘fear of missing out’) is great, and ours compulsion to use the various platforms led us to find ourselves there, despite our best intentions. So here we are again, as we try to “detox”. After a first try in 2019, this time around, our resolve is strengthened by revelations shared by brave whistleblowers, who have clearly shown and denounced the known harms young people are exposed to due to current algorithms and insufficient industry regulation. Bullying, fake news, extreme positions, Fomo, phantom vibration syndrome, manipulative algorithms; an endless stream that leads to a dramatic increase in the rates of youth suicide, depression and anxiety.
“We wouldn’t ask our customers to come and visit us in a dark and dangerous alley, while some social media platforms are starting to become places no one should be encouraged to go. Something has to change. We hope that the platforms will introduce stricter guidelines in the future, and we hope that international regulations will soon translate into law. But we can’t wait. We feel obligated to take our steps to protect our customers from the damage and manipulation they may suffer while coming into contact with us on social media. So Lush will leave Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat until these platforms can offer a safer environment for their users.
Lush promises not to go completely anti-social. We will do our best to find new ways to connect, to build better communication channels elsewhere, as well as to use the old paths already tried and tested. At the moment we can connect with the community on twitter and youtube every day: in fact, here you do not need to like, subscribe or receive notifications. People can just drop by and visit us whenever they want. We always have a lot to say, but when we get on stage we want it to be safe ».