Best of the Web: TikTok bans beauty filters for kids, the rise of image-based abuse, and more

(Rebecca Mitchell, Elle)

Body image experts have welcomed TikTok’s announcement that it will ban ‘beauty filters’ for teenagers by the end of the year.

Beauty filters change how a person looks – including the shape of their eyes, nose, cheeks and lips – in ways that makeup alone cannot. Video filters can do it in real time.

This article explores how filters are making young people feel ‘dissatisfied with their body’ and includes a revealing video from beauty influencer Hira Mustafa, on why she refuses to use them at all.

(Bri Lee, ABC’s long read) 

Image based abuse is on the rise.

Once it might have been limited to the non-consensual sharing of intimate images a young person had sexted to someone. Now, anyone can be ‘instantly undressed’ by uploading a photo of them to an ‘AI nudfiying app’.

This article explores the new fear unlocked by deep fake technology, what motivates teenage boys to create and share the material, and the impact of online ‘masculinity influencers’ such as Andrew Tate.

A teacher in the article expresses frustration with the ‘Not my boy’ response, saying parents need to accept that their ‘kids will sometimes get it wrong, and that this is okay’.

(Nell Frizzell, The Guardian)

Has saying no to your children become verboten?

Nell Frizell talks with psychologists and parenting experts about the ‘argument that divides generations’ – whether, when and how to say no to your child – before seeking a personal verdict from his son.