AFP – There’s a growing body of research on the impact of beauty filters on mental health across the world and the findings seem to align: the public dislikes them and fears their harmful effects on self-esteem. A recent poll conducted in the United States (US) reveals that a significant proportion of the population would like to impose an age limit on their use, or even ban them outright. Should beauty filters be banned from social media? It’s a question on the minds of many parents, but they aren’t the only ones, as a survey conducted by StyleSeat revealed.
The beauty and wellness booking platform asked 700 Americans to test the “bold glamour” filter, which guarantees a flawless face, and then asked them about their perception of the beauty filters popular on social networks. And the results were clear: three out of five respondents thought they were bad for their mental health, and 70 per cent feared they would have a negative impact on self-esteem. Contrary to popular belief, younger people are not more inclined to turn to beauty filters when posting photos or videos on social networks, or at the very least they fear their effects as much or more than other demographics.
Nearly three quarters of Generation Z respondents (72 per cent) think that these filters have a negative impact on mental health. And with good reason: these applications, which modify users’ appearance, often to meet certain unrealistic beauty standards, could be linked to low self-esteem o.