TikTok has announced new safety measures aimed at protecting young users on its platform. In the coming weeks, users under 13 years of age will not be able to sign up for the app. The company will be enforcing the change by restricting users from creating another account with a different date or birth, using advanced technology to detect and review accounts suspected to be made by an underage user.
Additionally, users under 18 years of age will be restricted from using beauty filters available on the platform. With the new rule in place, you need to be above 13 years of age to sign up for TikTok and be above 18 years of age to use face-altering filters on the platform.
Those under 18 won't be able to use filters that modify their appearance by enlarging their eyes, smoothening the skin, or improving their skin tone. The restrictions won't be applicable on filters that are designed to be "obvious and funny (e.g. animal ear effects)." Reportedly, the changes are likely aimed at beauty filters such as "Bold Glamour," which significantly alters a user's face by slimming the facial structure, brightening the skin, and adding longer eyelashes.
These measures follow research conducted by TikTok in partnership with UK-based online safety not-for-profit organization Internet Matters. The study was conducted to check the potential harm to teens caused by effects and filters. The report concluded that "beautifying filters contributed to a distorted worldview in which perfected images are normalized," and significant social pressure took a toll on teen's mental health on the platform.
The changes were published in TikTok's European newsroom and announced during the European Safety Forum in Dublin. So, it is unclear if these changes will apply to other regions or not or if these are for the 175 million people across Europe who use TikTok every month.
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