TikTok limits the effects of changing the appearance of anyone under the age of 18

In the last decade social media has gone from silly dog ​​lenses to over the top beauty filters. The latter is at the heart of a new initiative by TikTok – a company that is currently being sued in 14 US states for having a negative impact on the mental health of young people. TikTok is now taking action to limit youth access to these changing effects, with the platform announcing new restrictions on Tuesday where filters will be available to users under the age of 18.

TikTok restricts anyone who uses this age group “appearance effects,” a vague promise that will clarify whether it will really help young people or the image of TikTok. The company also plans to expand how much information each filter should have about changes in a person’s appearance. Also, TikTok is “refreshing” its guidelines for creators in its TikTok Effects House about the effect that other filters can have – and they are not clear, so we will have to see if they are telling or really beneficial.

Then there is the issue of detecting and blocking users under 13 years of age. The company says it removes six million accounts worldwide every month from users it suspects are minors. Now, TikTok is also “testing” how to use machine learning technology to find accounts held by people under the age of 13 to send to the moderator for verification. A TikTok spokesperson confirmed to Engadget that the company will first test this in the UK, while the filter restrictions and guidance should be rolled out globally in the coming weeks and months.