The social network TikTok will block access to filters that “enhance” facial features for minors. The ban will not apply to humorous filters with dog noses or bunny ears, the company says.
The Chinese social media platform TikTok will block access to beauty filters for minors in the coming weeks. The announcement was made by company representatives during a safety forum at its European headquarters in Dublin. The decision was driven by the increasing levels of anxiety and other mental health issues among teenagers caused by comparing their appearance to unrealistic, edited images, according to The Guardian.
In the coming weeks, users under 18 will face restrictions in the TikTok app. The company will prohibit them from artificially enlarging their eyes and lips, smoothing or altering skin tone, or using other filters to enhance their appearance in videos. This is expected to help prevent the development of low self-esteem and anxiety in children from comparing themselves to the “enhanced” image.
The restrictions will apply to filters that alter facial features, such as the Bold Glamour filter. The company notes that comedic and “cartoonish” filters will not be affected: users will still be able to add dog noses or bunny ears to their images as before.
The decision to tighten age restrictions was prompted by growing concerns about the impact of beauty filters on teenagers’ mental health, journalists report. Some young people, especially girls, admitted that after using such filters, their real faces appeared ugly to them.
TikTok will also block access for children under 13 years old The company also announced that TikTok will strengthen its age restriction enforcement systems for users under 13. While registering on the platform is prohibited until reaching this age, children often manage to bypass the restriction. To detect violations of age limits, new AI-based automated systems will be launched by the end of the year. Currently, the platform removes 20 million accounts quarterly worldwide that were created by children, according to reports.
TikTok’s Head of Child Safety, Chloe Setter, hopes that the new system will help identify and remove such accounts more quickly. Those mistakenly blocked will be able to appeal the decision.
“Obviously, this may annoy some young people,” Setter acknowledged.
However, she emphasized that the platform prioritizes safety.
