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To: Vanessa Pappas, Interim CEO of TikTok
TikTok: No unrealistic “beauty” filters for kids
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1 out of 3 teen girls are unhappy with the way they look by the time they’re 14! Heavy social media use -- especially for young femme and nonbinary kids -- is one of the primary drivers of this trend. Poor body image in teens can lead to depression, eating disorders, and even suicide. TikTok needs to disable these unrealistic "beauty" filters on kids' accounts.
Why is this important?
"Thank God these weren't around when I was 13 but also... how are teens supposed to learn to accept themselves with this sh*t?". - Demi Lovato, apologizing to her TikTok fans for using unrealistic beauty filters.
Demi is right. TikTok -- immensely popular with teen girls -- has multiple types of beauty filters that let young people change their skin tone, jaw structure, facial features, body shape and more. The result is images that are more computer-generated than real -- doe-eyes, poreless skin, chiseled jawlines, and emaciated stomachs.
These filters create an impossible standard for young girls forming opinions of themselves and send girls an unmistakable message that they are “not enough.” TikTok should immediately disable all beauty filters for teen accounts to support healthy and realistic standards for teen girls.
It’s clear these filters fuel depression, disordered eating….TikTok knows exactly what it is doing.