It has been a busy few weeks for our #SurgeryIsNotAGame campaign! Several national news outlets and blogs have been covering the campaign and spreading our message further. All this extra media attention is really making a difference and petition signatures have soared. Over 135,000 of you have signed our petition asking Apple, Google and Amazon to implement a policy which makes it clear that they will not accept any cosmetic surgery apps that are targeted at children. Here are a few highlights from recent press coverage: ‘Some of the games are explicitly made for children as young as 8 and have drawn scrutiny from parents and researchers uncomfortable with apps that make light of medical procedures for the sake of beauty’. Hayley Tsukayama, The Washington Post (https://wapo.st/2Kxp0eq) ‘Like the reality shows Botched and I Want a Famous Face before them, these apps take advantage of our collective cultural obsession with cosmetic surgery. Unlike reality TV, however, there’s an explicit gamification at work: they’re listed in the Games categories of the App Store and Google Play Store, and they promote the idea that a perfect body or face is the goal, that “winning” comes only when you complete a surgery’. Lizzie Plaugic, The Verge (https://bit.ly/2q9OlT1) "Certainly when you look at some of the images in the app, they certainly look like they're geared toward young children," plastic surgeon Dr. David Cangello told CBS News. "The concern is that this is unmonitored and young kids have access to these apps." CBS News (https://cbsn.ws/2Kyyvde) “Beauty Apps for kids send the wrong message.” L’essentiel (https://bit.ly/2ronF10) The Today Show surveyed viewers and asked them “Should plastic surgery apps be removed from app stores?” and 90% of viewers said “yes”. Watch the full clip here: Today Show (https://on.today.com/2H4BE2A) In addition to this wave of media attention, the UK’s Independent also published this article, “These are the terrifying plastic surgery apps aimed at young girls”, which two of our members penned for The Indy. (https://ind.pn/2FjQ113) Interestingly, several of the recent news reports include quotes from Apple and Google expressing their concern about these apps. A Google spokesperson made reference to not allowing apps for kids in their store that “promote negative self-image” yet a plethora of cosmetic surgery games for children are still available for download in Google Play. PR representative for Apple Tom Neumayr referred to “rules in place” against such apps yet when we reached out directly to Mr. Neumayr regarding more information and clarity about such rules, we have been met with silence. Unfortunately, we can still find kids’ apps in Apple’s app store that contain cosmetic surgery procedures. One thing is clear: there are still apps targeted at kids that feature cosmetic surgery procedures available in all three app stores. Let’s keep the pressure on and hope that Apple, Amazon and Google are ready to make some concrete changes. It clearly is time for them to take a stand.