TikTok bans teens from using beauty filters

Social media platform TikTok has announced a new policy banning beauty filters for younger users due to mental health concerns. The move will ban users under the age of 18 from using filters that enlarge their eyes, plump their lips, or change their skin tone. Comic filters that add animal ears or noses are exempt from the new regulations.

TikTok announced the policy at a safety forum at its European headquarters, signaling a global rollout within weeks. TikTok officials said they hope the change will help reduce self-image distortion and low self-esteem among young people. A recent study conducted by TikTok in partnership with Internet Matters, a British internet nonprofit, found that beauty filters increase the pressure on young people about their appearance and cause negative emotions.

TikTok will provide users with information about how filters change their appearance and provide additional resources to inform filter creators about the negative effects of their filters. The focus is on reducing the negative mental health impacts of surreal filters like “Bold Glamour.”

TikTok is also strengthening its age verification system to prevent users under the age of 13 from signing up. It plans to pilot a system that uses AI technology to detect and remove accounts that lie about their age by the end of the year. TikTok says it is removing about 6 million accounts every month.

The move is aimed at complying with tougher regulations, such as the upcoming Online Safety Act in the UK and the EU, which could result in huge fines for those who break the rules. TikTok said that “safety is our top priority” and that users who are incorrectly blocked will be given the opportunity to appeal.

Experts have praised the move, but stressed that stronger regulation and transparency are needed. Child protection group NSPCC said the move was “just the tip of the iceberg” and urged other social media platforms to adopt effective age verification methods.

TikTok's latest policy change is seen as part of a global effort to protect youth's mental health and improve the social media landscape.