In a significant step towards addressing the mental health concerns surrounding social media, TikTok has announced a bold new initiative to restrict the use of beauty filters for its teenage users. The move comes amidst growing pressure on the billion-user platform to improve safety measures and protect the wellbeing of its younger audience.
The Filter Ban: What It Means for Teens
Under the new policy, TikTok users under the age of 18 will no longer have access to filters that artificially enhance or alter their appearance, such as those that enlarge eyes, plump lips, or smooth skin beyond what makeup can achieve. While comic filters like bunny ears or dog noses will remain unaffected, the restrictions aim to curb the pressure on teenagers, particularly girls, to conform to unrealistic beauty standards.
The changes come in response to widespread concern over the negative emotional repercussions of these filters, with some young people reporting feelings of inadequacy or even disgust with their unfiltered appearance. As one user poignantly described, “After using the filters, I found my real face ugly.”
“We’re hoping that this will give us the ability to detect and remove [underage accounts] more and more quickly.”
– Chloe Setter, TikTok’s lead on child safety public policy
Cracking Down on Underage Users
In tandem with the filter restrictions, TikTok is also ramping up efforts to block users under the age of 13 from the platform entirely. By the end of the year, the company plans to launch a trial of new automated systems that harness machine learning to identify and remove underage accounts. While this may prove “annoying for some young people,” as Setter acknowledges, TikTok maintains it will prioritize a “safety-first approach.”
The effectiveness of these measures, however, will hinge on users registering with their real age—a challenge that has plagued social media platforms for years. As Ofcom warned, the success of TikTok’s age restriction enforcement remains “yet to be established.”
Bracing for Tighter Regulations
TikTok’s proactive stance on teen safety comes as stricter regulations loom on the horizon. With the UK’s Online Safety Act set to take effect next year, platforms face the prospect of hefty fines for breaching online safety rules. The “guardrails” around beauty filters and age verification form part of a broader wave of adjustments being rolled out across the industry in anticipation of this tougher regulatory landscape.
Other notable changes include Roblox limiting young users’ access to mature content, and Instagram introducing “teen accounts” with enhanced parental controls. As Andy Burrows, CEO of the Molly Rose Foundation, observes, “It will not escape anyone’s attention that these shifts are being announced largely to comply with EU and UK regulation. This makes the case for more ambitious regulation, not less.”
The Road Ahead: Transparency and Systemic Change
While TikTok’s latest initiatives have been met with cautious optimism, experts stress that much work remains to be done. Burrows calls on the platform to be fully transparent about the workings and effectiveness of its age assurance measures in reducing the number of underage users.
Moreover, as the NSPCC’s Richard Collard points out, age-appropriate experiences must be delivered across all social media sites, not just TikTok. Collard emphasizes the crucial role of regulators and policymakers in holding tech giants accountable, stating, “Ofcom and the government also have an important part to play in compelling tech bosses to deliver age-appropriate experiences for all their users.”
Perhaps most importantly, TikTok and its peers must address the systemic weaknesses in their designs that expose young people to harmful content through algorithmic recommendations. Only by tackling these deeper issues can we hope to create a safer, more nurturing digital environment for the next generation.
As the battle for online safety intensifies, all eyes will be on TikTok to see if its latest measures mark a genuine turning point or merely a cosmetic fix. The wellbeing of millions of teenagers hangs in the balance.
