A REDDITCH photography company has called for a ban on airbrushing images of young children following a recent parental outcry over the ‘retouching’ of traditional school photographs.

Fizz Group, which provide school yearbooks and school photography, is urging UK photographic firms to take a morally responsible lead on airbrushing – by refusing to allow it as an image-altering service.

The issue of airbrushing come into sharp media focus recently following a mother's fury at being offered the opportunity, for an additional cost, to re-touch the school photos of her eight-year-old daughter.

The mother accused the photography firm of “stealing the innocence of school pictures, threatening a positive body image and sending out the wrong message to children".

Fizz Group, which refuses to airbrush photos under any circumstances, is urging photography firms to self-regulate by adopting an across-the-industry ban on airbrushing for traditional school photos of primary school age children.

Adam McGill, 24, Fizz Group’s managing director, said: “I think this ultimately is a very bad judgement in the pursuit of a little extra profit.

“It shouldn't be an option. What kind of message are we sending to our children if we are telling them that a photo is only acceptable, or more acceptable, if it is showing them blemish free and air-brushed?

“Everything about each child makes them who they are - their hair colour, skin colour, shape of their nose, birth marks and blemishes. If we alter this, we are altering their identity - changing who they are.

"There is no need in my view to consider correcting an image - it shouldn't be an option."

Mr McGill, who started the Fizz Group at just 17, added: "We won’t airbrush under any circumstances.

"I think it’s important that the whole industry takes a stance on this. By sending out a collective message that airbrushing at such a young age is wrong, we have a real opportunity to make a positive impact on future generations.”