To promote mental health
Nowadays, with social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter, we tend to spend substantial time online. Overtime it has been proven that the internet can impact mental health, and Instagram is taking a stand.
Filters, a trend that started on applications like Snapchat had a wholesome beginning. What started as dog ears and flower crowns, lead to options that change how your face and skin-tone looks, giving what has been described as a ‘plastic surgery’ effect.
Recently, Instagram’s filters have taken that route, specifically one that makes you look like you have gotten lip fillers or a face lift. This tends to create a standard of beauty, and put pressure on teens using these applications. Therefore, Instagram announced that it will be banning these filters.
Spark AR, the augmented reality platform that creates the filters, released a statement announcing the update on Facebook. The company said it is re-evaluating its “existing policies as they relate to well-being”, saying that they want those who use Spark AR effects to have a “positive experience”.
The firm stated it is “removing all effects associated with plastic surgery from the Instagram Effect Gallery”, in addition to “postponing approval of new effects associated with plastic surgery until further notice.”
“At this time, we’re not able to provide exact timing on the new policy rollout, but we’ll share updates as soon as we can,” the statement added. According to Spark AR, more than one billion people have used its face-alteration filters across social media in the past year
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“At this time, we’re not able to provide exact timing on the new policy rollout, but we’ll share updates as soon as we can,” the statement added.
The company said it is re-evaluating its “existing policies as they relate to well-being”, saying that they want those who use Spark AR effects to have a “positive experience”.
