New Delhi:Meta has announced that third-party augmented reality (AR) filters will no longer be available on its platforms, including Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook, starting in January 2025.
The decision comes after growing concerns about the impact of these filters on mental health, particularly with regard to body image issues, especially among young women.
More than two million user-generated filters on platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram will disappear.
Filters have long been a staple feature on Instagram, with many of the most popular ones often used to enhance a user’s appearance (created by users via Meta’s Spark Studio).
Instagram has become popular for its various beautification filters, many of which were developed using Meta Spark Studio.
Meta reportedly says it is shifting its focus to “prioritize investments in other company priorities.”
Filters won’t disappear from the platform entirely. Meta’s own filters will still be available, but the removal of third-party filters will mark the end of many sophisticated and realistic beauty-enhancing filters. This could prompt users to explore alternative platforms or underground solutions.
Removing watermarks, which help distinguish altered images, can further complicate the ability to differentiate between edited and unedited content, raising concerns about media literacy, especially among young women and girls.
Research shows that 87% of Instagram face-beautifying filters reduce the size of a user’s nose, while 90% enhance their lips. Removing these filters may not solve the core problem, as users may turn to other platforms and technologies to achieve similar effects.
Newer filters, like TikTok’s “Bold Glamour,” leverage AI technology to match users’ faces with beauty enhancements, creating hyper-realistic and unattainable beauty standards.
Experts say Meta’s decision to remove third-party AR filters may not fully address concerns around mental health and body image issues, as users may simply find other ways to access similar technologies, making the issue even harder to control.
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