A group of MPs in Britain are calling for warning logos to be used on photoshopped commercial images that have altered body sizes and skin tone.

This comes as research shows consuming altered images can create unrealistic beauty expectations and negative body image.

On Newstalk Breakfast this week, the question was asked: Should Ireland follow suit and put warnings on digitally-altered images?

Barry Murphy, Research and Policy Officer of Body Wise, the eating disorders association of Ireland, said his feelings on the idea were "mixed".

"When I heard about it first I was thinking it's kind of similar when you go to the cinema and the notification pops up saying 'this film is rated 15'."

"I think we have to balance what legislators' kind of gut feeling around what should be done versus what the evidence says."

The evidence

"The research evidence around disclaimers on body image and airbrushing images is not particularly strong", said Mr Murphy.

"They don't seem to be terribly effective unfortunately."

He said that often people are already effected by the image before they see the disclaimer, and then it's difficult to reverse the process.

"The research would say that people's interpretation or their assessment or their perception of the image is ultimately the end product."

Social media

Mr Murphy said that the impact of social media on mental health should not be underestimated.

"We live in a very device-based society."

"Some people will obviously scroll through and there won't be any issue, but there are a lot of people who will have that vulnerability and may not have resilience to deal with the content."

He said that spending over three hours online each day "can undermine your body self-esteem".

A "two-pronged solution" is needed, according to Mr Murphy.

Firstly, media literacy, examining "the sense that we need to critique what we're seeing, body ideals, and being aware of maybe the advertising motives that underpin the creation of the images."

The second thing, he said, is self-compassion.

"We make some comparisons in an unconscious way and certainly self-compassion has a positive impact around reducing negative body image, reducing disordered eating and also improving positive body image."

Listen back to the full conversation here.

Main image shows a billboard of Khloe Kardashian. Picture by: Shakeyjon/Alamy Stock Photo