Iranian Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine

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Zotero  

Hosseini M, Akbari H. Law and Ethics in the Marketing of Health-oriented Goods and Services on Instagram. IJMEHM 2019; 12 :584-596
URL: http://ijme.tums.ac.ir/article-1-6161-en.html

Nowadays, social networks play a remarkable role in human societies. Instagram, as one of the most influential platforms, along with other functions, has become a place for the marketing and advertising of economic undertakings. Advertisements on Instagram are different from other forms of advertising. The market-driven nature of this network will create many legal challenges in the relationship between professions and consumers. Goods (such as medicines and herbal medicines) and health services (such as medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy) are related to the health of consumers. It is evident that any negligence on the part of the profession can cause serious harm to consumer’s physical and mental health. This article assesses the evolution of the relationship between the professional and the consumers. It discusses the ethics of Instagram marketing and health problem, along with reviewing the legal protection of consumer’s health in the -related goods and services using an analytical-descriptive method. The results of this paper show that violating consumer rights on Instagram can lead to four types of liability (criminal, legal, disciplinary, and ethical) for the offenders. In this way, the support of the legislator and the responsible authorities is essential for increasing the quality of this protection.