2 weeks ago
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Social media platforms around the world are under pretty intense scrutiny when it comes to how they perpetuate behaviors or spread misinformation.
One major area of concern is so-called beauty filters or facial filters that alter the appearance of the user to achieve some kind of idealized look. It’s not just that these filters create a kind of disconnect between reality and fantasy, but also they perpetuate perhaps unrealistic and unhealthy ideas about one’s appearance.
TikTok is going to ban such filters for its teenage users starting immediately in a proactive move that comes on the heels of Australia’s ban on social media entirely for teens.
This also comes as news that the popular social media platform has just lost its appeal on its pending ban in the United States. Beauty filters aside, the kinds of information and access that many of these social media platforms have to users is another major concern underpinning many of these arguments pushing for a regulation or a ban. And when it comes to younger audiences, social media’s ability to make certain attitudes or behaviors viral trends at scale is something to consider when it comes to platforms like TikTok self-regulating in some way.
Whether or not it will be enough to avoid further scrutiny is a story time will tell but the general awareness in the public of the somewhat detrimental impact that social media can have on mental health of people of all ages is going to be pretty central to the conversation for some time to come.
Any thoughts that you might have on TikTok’s move to ban so-called beauty filters are welcome in the comments.
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English (US) ·