TikTok announced plans to block teens from using beauty filters over growing concerns about the impact such tools can have on mental health, particularly among young people.
During a safety forum held at its European headquarters in Dublin and later outlined in a blog post, the company said changes will affect filters that alter its users' features, such as facial features. However, it will not include filters that add playful effects like dog ears or bunny ears, the company said.
Instagram said in the blog post it was motivated to make the change after it commissioned research with UK-based not-for-profit organisation Internet Matters that found there was a clear distinction between effects designed to be funny, such as bunny ears, and those designed to alter appearances.Â
"Specifically, teens and parents raised concerns about 'appearance' effects, including that those viewing the content might not realise it had been altered," wrote Christine Grahn, Instagram's head of public policy and government relations in Europe, in the blog post.
The company said it will also provide more information about how certain effects might change their appearance, on top of its existing efforts to let TikTok users know when certain effects have been used.
"By fostering a culture of authenticity, respect and support, we can create a digital world where everyone feels empowered to be their true self," Grahn said.
The company told CNET it will restrict the use of some appearance effects for teens under 18 globally over the coming weeks and months.
The move comes as social media platforms have long faced criticism for how beauty filters can impact the mental health of teenagers. More recently, the American Psychological Association raised concerns over how newer developments like AI-generated photos and videos can pose health risks around body image and how it's sometimes hard to distinguish between what's real and not. Many research groups have pushed for more regulation around these issues.
TikTok's latest efforts also follow stricter regulations in the UK under the Online Safety Act, which mandates platforms take proactive measures to safeguard young users from harmful content.
TikTok also announced plans to tighten restrictions around people under 13 joining the platform by implementing a trial using machine learning to detect if people are lying about their ages. The company will begin testing this in the UK.
"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," Grahn said. "Like today, people will be able to appeal if they think we've made a mistake."
The process of age verification remains complicated because there is no standard in place. Many platforms rely on self-reporting age and the act of requiring ID verification raises concerns about data security and accessibility for younger users. TikTok said it removes about 6 million accounts worldwide per month "because we believe that our minimum age requirement has not been met."
The move to protect younger people on TikTok also reflects an industry-wide shift amid rising concerns over child safety in digital spaces. Virtual gaming platform Roblox recently announced parental controls, allowing caregivers the ability to restrict or see how much time their child is spending on the site, and prohibit anyone under the age of 13 from sending private messages.
Meanwhile, Instagram recently launched more tools for parents, including the ability to block access during specific times of the day, particularly at night time.