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Teenagers are facing wide-ranging new restrictions over the use of beauty filters on TikTok amid concern at rising anxiety and falling self-esteem. In the upcoming weeks, individuals under the age of 18 will be prohibited from artificially increasing the size of their eyes, plumping their cheekbones, or altering or refining their skin tone.
The restrictions will apply to filters like “Bold Glamour” that alter children’s appearance, while others, like rabbit ears, remain unaffected. The changes were announced at a safety forum in Dublin, with their effectiveness relying on users reporting their real age.
There is a widespread apprehension that the beauty filters, which are created by users and some provided by TikTok, have led to a burden on adolescents, particularly girls, to adopt a refined physical appearance, which has had negative emotional repercussions. Several youthful individuals have expressed that they considered their natural visage to be unattractive after utilizing filters.
Additionally, TikTok disclosed that it was enhancing its security measures to prevent users under the age of 13 from accessing the platform. This could potentially result in the exclusion of thousands of British children. It will initiate a trial of new automated systems that employ machine learning to identify individuals who circumvent its age restrictions before the year concludes.
In a press release, TikTok announced that they had commissioned a report from the UK-based not-for-profit organization Internet Matters to investigate the influence of online platforms on the identity and relationships of adolescents.
“The final report, ‘Unfiltered: The Role of Authenticity, Belonging and Connection’, […] identified new insights about teens’ use of effects and the impact this has on their sense of self. A clear distinction was drawn between effects designed to be obvious and funny (eg animal ear effects) and effects designed to alter your appearance. Specifically, teens and parents raised concerns about ‘appearance’ effects, including that those viewing the content might not realize it had been altered.”
Additionally, the platform will provide more information about how an effect might change a user’s appearance if applied. “This is in addition to already proactively letting users know when certain effects have been used on content.”
TikTok will also refresh resources for people developing filters to enhance awareness and understanding of some of the unintended outcomes that certain filters may pose. “By fostering a culture of authenticity, respect and support, we can create a digital world where everyone feels empowered to be their true self.”
Additionally, TikTok disclosed that it was strengthening its security protocols to prevent users under the age of 13 from accessing the platform. The Guardian reported that it will initiate a trial of new automated systems that employ machine learning to identify individuals who circumvent its age restrictions before the end of the year.
The platform stated that it eliminates six million accounts globally each month because the minimum age requirement was not met. It specified that it was investigating the potential of new machine learning technology to enhance its efforts to prevent individuals under the age of 13 from accessing the platform.
“This technology will help detect accounts that may belong to someone under 13 so that a specially trained moderator can review the account and remove it if they believe someone doesn’t meet our minimum age.” However, people will be able to appeal if they think TikTok has made a mistake.
