Instagram is cracking down on selfie filters that mimic plastic surgery in a bid to quell claims its app is damaging for teens.
Over recent months, filters that depict how you’d look after surgery have become increasingly popular on the app despite concerns over their impact on mental health.
One now-removed filter known as “Fix Me” plastered pen marks onto the user’s face to show how a cosmetic surgeon might map out the lifts and tucks of plastic work.
Another dubbed “Plastica” revealed how a user might look if they went under the knife by over-inflating their lips and cheeks.
Instagram is now banning all filters that allow people to look as though they’ve undergone plastic surgery.
A spokesperson told The Sun that Instagram wanted face filters to be a “positive experience” for people. The firm is re-evaluating its policies.
In addition, Instagram is “removing all effects from the gallery associated with plastic surgery” and “stopping further approval of new effects like this,” the spokesperson said.
Spark AR, the augmented reality platform that provided the filters, released a statement along similar lines on Facebook.
The firm said it was “not able to provide exact timing on the new policy rollout,” but that it would share updates as soon as possible.
Instagram selfie filters use augmented reality to morph your face — or superimpose objects onto it.
The tech titan maintained tight control over the filters until earlier this year when it decided to allow users to create their own.
Although Spark AR didn’t build the cosmetic surgery filters itself, it did approve them to be used by its 1 billion users on Instagram Stories.
The ban is part of new efforts by Instagram to clamp down on content related to dieting, detoxes and cosmetic surgery.
The firm has come under intense pressure in recent months to limit such content over the impact it can have on young people’s mental health and body image.
Doctors say affected youths are depressed that their natural look does not measure up to the airbrushed version.
They warn touch-up apps, such as Facetune, are leading to “Snapchat dysmorphia” in which sufferers concentrate only on perceived flaws.
Meanwhile, selfie-obsessed celebs, including Kim Kardashian, have been blamed for helping make kids more image-conscious.
Last month, Instagram banned celebs like Kim Kardashian and Cardi B from flogging diet fads to teens.
The photo-sharing app blocked posts about plastic surgery and weight-loss products from reaching the feeds of young users.
Under the new rules, posts that promote the use of certain products or procedures which have an incentive to buy, or include a price, are hidden from users under 18.
The move followed months of pressure heaped on Instagram’s celebs and “influencers” to clean up their act regarding weight-loss products.