Only one in five influencers discloses its advertising content. EU asks member states to investigate

Brussels – Out of 576 influencer profiles under the magnifying glass of the European Commission and national consumer protection authorities, only twenty per cent systematically disclosed the advertising nature of the posted content. The remaining four out of five did not comply with European regulations. As a result of the investigation, 358 social media entrepreneurs will be contacted by national authorities for further investigation.

The screening, in which 22 member countries, Norway and Iceland participated, produced several results. For example, the fact that although 78 per cent of the verified influencers engaged in commercial activity, less than half ( 36 per cent) were registered as traders at the national level. Of all the posts for advertising purposes, 72 per cent lacked the platform labels that serve to reveal commercial content, such as the “paid partnerships” toggle on Instagram. Rather, influencers sweetened their activity and opted for different wording, such as “collaboration” (16 per cent), “partnership” (15 per cent) or generic thanks to the partner brand (11 per cent).

In addition, the European Commission found that 40 per cent of influencers endorsed their own products, services, or brands. And 60 of these “did not consistently, or at all, disclose advertising.” From fashion to lifestyle, beauty products to food, travel, and fitness. Indeed, 119 influencers were considered promoters of “unhealthy or dangerous” activities, such as junk food, alcoholic beverages, medical or beauty treatments, gambling, or financial services such as cryptocurrency trading.

Once the national authorities’ investigations are completed, the European Commission will also analyze their findings in light of the platforms’ legal obligations under the Digital Service Act, the new EU regulation on digital services.

Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Hungary, Iceland, and Norway participated in the EU screening. Of the surveyed influencers—on Instagram, TikTok, Youtube, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Snapchat, and Twitch—82 had over 1 million followers, 301 over 100,000 and 73 between 5,000 and 100,000.