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TikTok is now the go-to social network for more than a billion users, bringing it to the attention of 14 U.S. attorneys general, who recently announced they were suing the company over its negative impact on minors’ mental health, as well as for harvesting their data. A subsequent report indicated that the company’s own research backs this up.
And this is why TikTok has now announced plans to block the use of certain effects by users under the age of 18 — specifically “effects designed to alter your appearance.” The move seems to be a response to the criticisms TikTok has faced over how younger users can be impacted by these filters: it is less about cute bunny ears, and more about beauty filters that artificially change a person’s look.
TikTok, owned by the $300 billlion tech giant Bytedane, allows anyone over the age of 13 to become a registered user, as per the its own terms-of-service. Those categorized as between 13 and 18 may have different settings and defaults in place. But while the company tries to enforce these age-restrictions through various mechanisms, regulators have questioned their efficacy.
TikTok says these changes will be rolling out “in the coming weeks” across its global footprint.