TikTok’s Bold Glamour filter ‘threatens mental health’
Experts warn that a TikTok filter that gives users a flawless complexion without any technical issues “threatens the mental health” of app users.
Social media users are confused by the platform’s new “Bold Glamour” filter, which has been used more than 15 million times since its launch this month.
The effect makes the person look like a thick layer of makeup has been piled on the user’s face and smooths out any skin blemishes.
However, professionals are now calling the filter “deeply disturbing” and warning that it could have a detrimental impact on people’s lives.
Lucy Thorpe, head of policy at the Mental Health Foundation, said The times: ‘Young people in particular are under enormous pressure to look a certain way. The solution certainly does not lie in encouraging them to change their image.
Experts warn a TikTok filter that gives users a flawless complexion without any technical glitches ‘threatens the mental health’ of app users (left and right, Joanna Kenny, from the Lake District, shared a video while using the filter)
“We need to create a culture that values people for who they are, not what they look like.”
Meanwhile, TikTok user Joanna Kenny from the Lake District shared a video as she used the filter and said, “I don’t look like that at all, but the filter itself looks natural.”
“I actually look ugly when I take this filter off. I’ve put in a lot of work to unlearn that I owe beauty to someone.
“I don’t think my brain knows how to handle looking like this one minute and this the next.”
Members of Parliament have also pondered the subject, with Dr. Luke Evans shared a video on the platform saying, “We need to talk about this filter.”
He told The Times: ‘I’ve seen clips of people using it [the filter] and say it sets an unrealistic standard that they can’t meet and that it can’t be good for someone’s mental state… it’s hard to argue with that.’
Even before experts warned of the damage the filter could do, its freakishly perfect looks left people upset as they were stunned by how real it looks.
TikTok user Zoe George from Australia posted a video of her trying out the filter online, writing, “So there’s a new filter on TikTok and it’s perfect, check it out.
‘You used to do that with an old filter [covers eye] and you’d see the eyelashes on your hand, as if it were glitching.”
A TikTok filter that provides users with a flawless complexion without technical glitches leaves users of the app in question (left, one user with no filter and right, with filter)
Posting under the username @zoe_george_, she continued, “But look how perfect, I’m not wearing makeup right now, this is all a filter and it’s just creepy.”
Elsewhere, users expressed concern about the new addition to the popular video-sharing platform.
Samantha Hoy, from London, adjusted the filter TikTok and said she was very concerned about the results.
She explained, “I don’t look like that and normally when you put your hand on your face it comes off.
‘This is not me. How toxic is this filter? And what does it teach young children today?’
Posting under the username @amor_style_life, she continued, “This is why so many people get so upset and think they should be like other people when realistically they aren’t.”
She explained how the filter creates a natural look, even enlarges pores and gives a natural glow, and went on to say why it’s dangerous.
She said, “This is just so unfair to the young people we are raising in this world today.
“They’ll look at this and think, ‘Oh my God, her makeup is flawless, her skin is flawless, she just looks unreal.'”
It doesn’t look like a filter at all, no matter how many times you move your eyebrows or cover your face, it doesn’t glitch.
Samantha Hoy, from London, tried the filter on TikTok and said she was very concerned about the results (left, without filter and right, with
To test out the filter, a Swedish Linus Ekenstam shared a video on Twitter of him pulling a series of facial expressions to see how easily it would falter.
He wrote, “I’m having a hard time here and it only falters once when I cover my whole face.”
On Friday, Australian star Abbie Chatfield slammed the trend, touting it as “toxic” and “damaging.”
The Australian reality TV star, 27, unleashed on the viral Bold Glamor beauty filter that has sparked some controversy in recent days.
Meanwhile, the former Bachelor contestant warned the filter as harmful, and her fans agreed with her point of view.
To test out the filter, a Swede Linus Ekenstam shared a video of him pulling a series of facial expressions to see how easily it would falter
Abbie Chatfield has criticized one of TikTok’s latest trends, praising it as “toxic” and “damaging.” The Australian reality TV star, 27, unleashed the viral beauty filter Body Glamor that has sparked some controversy in recent days
So she uploaded her version which garnered 192,000 views, changing her look and showing the contrast of when no edits were made.
“If I wasn’t a grown adult this would rot my brain to be honest,” her caption read at the top of the video.
She added in the caption alongside the video, “Like it’s funny, but this is also so toxic.”
A variety of fans commented that they didn’t recognize her with the filter on, saying they preferred looking at her when it wasn’t being used.
This isn’t the first filter TikTok has come under fire for, launching its Teenage Filter last month.
By doing what it says on the package, the teen filter makes your face look younger.
The default setting requires a passcode to continue scrolling through the app once the time limit is reached, but teens can opt out of the feature if they wish.
And profiles owned by users aged 13 to 15 are also automatically set to private.
The China-based company also plans to give parents and guardians more control, allowing them to mute notifications in their children’s app at certain times of the day.
TikTok did not confirm an exact date for the rollout of the new features, but confirmed it would be “in the coming weeks.”