TikTok will restrict some beauty filters for people under 18

TikTok will restrict some beauty filters for people under 18

TikTok is now the go-to social network for more than a billion users, drawing the attention of 14 U.S. attorneys general, who recently announced they would sue the company for its negative impact on the mental health of minors, as well as misuse of their data. A later report pointed out that the company’s own research backs this up.

And that’s why TikTok has now announced plans to block the use of certain effects by users under the age of 18 – specifically, “effects designed to change the way you look.” The move appears to be a response to criticism TikTok has faced over how younger users can be influenced by these filters: It’s less about cute bunny ears and more about beauty filters that artificially alter a person’s appearance.

TikTok, owned by $300 billion tech giant ByteDance, allows anyone over the age of 13 to become a registered user, according to its own terms of service. Categories between 13 and 18 may have different settings and defaults. But as the company attempts to enforce these age restrictions through various mechanisms, regulators are questioning their effectiveness.

TikTok says these changes will roll out across its global footprint “in the coming weeks.”

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