Millions of British teenagers will soon face a ban on using ‘beauty filters’ on social media platform TikTok.
The Chinese company announced the changes, which will take effect in the coming weeks, at a security forum at its European headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, this week.
You’ll find that those under 18 on the platform will not be able to use popular beauty filters that alter aspects of their physical appearance, such as lip size and skin tone, in videos shared with others on the app.
Experts have long expressed concern that manipulated images on such apps may be creating body dissatisfaction among young people due to the promotion of “unrealistic” beauty standards.
Last year, an Australian study found that seeing just 90 seconds of “unrealistic” bodies on social media was enough to negatively affect women’s mental health.
Meanwhile, there have been multiple reports of young people describing their real faces as “ugly” after using TikTok and Instagram, with some not even being able to look at themselves in the mirror.
However, TikTok bosses have previously denied that the platform’s features encourage a “stereotypical sense of beauty.”
Now, the social media company with one billion users is taking a “safety-first approach,” according to Chloe Setter, TikTok’s lead on child safety public policy.
Millions of British children will soon face a ban on using ‘beauty filters’ on social media website TikTok over fears they are damaging their self-esteem. stock image
However, the new restrictions will only apply to those under 18 years of age.
TikTok said it is also planning an audit of accounts it suspects are being used by those under 13, the minimum age the company sets for users to create an account.
If effective, this could result in millions of children being banned from the social media platform.
The UK Government’s Information Commissioner’s Office previously estimated that there could be up to 1.4 million British minors with a TikTok account.
Speaking at the company’s event in Dublin, Setter said: “We hope this will give us the ability to detect and remove more and more (leaked posts) quickly.”
Charity GirlGuiding previously warned that almost half of girls aged 11 to 21 regularly use such beauty filters to look “better” online.
A similar proportion reported this year that they wish their real face matched their appearance leaked online, compared with two-fifths four years ago.
TikTok said it would also change its age verification systems, including an audit of accounts it suspects are being used by those under 13, the minimum age the company sets for people to create an account.
Beauty filters have previously been criticized for affecting not only the self-esteem of children but also young adults.
Beauty filters, also found on apps such as Snapchat and Instagram, have been blamed for driving a rise in cosmetic injections among young people looking to alter their real face to better match what the filter shows.
A report from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reported a 28 percent increase in 20-somethings seeking Botox between 2010 and 2017, with a 32 percent increase in fillers in the same group.
More recent British research has also suggested that almost half of Brits in their teens and 20s wouldn’t upload a selfie without using a filter.