Facial Filters Can Take A Toll On Teen Self-Esteem & Mental Health

SrdjanPav/Getty Call them augumented reality, face filters, or — the term Google’s adopted — “face retouching,” they started out as cute puppy dog ears, vomiting rainbows, flower crowns, and… that blue filter that smooths out your complexion. Now every major social media platform, from SnapChat to TikTok, Facebook to Instagram, has them, and we’re all guilty. Raise your hand if you don’t have a fave Insta filter. When I drink with friends on Facebook Messenger Chat, I put on kitty ears once I’m drunk: they’re not only cute, but they also make my eyes bigger and my face a touch narrower. A friend halos herself in angel wings and blue light. We’re smoother, prettier, digital versions of ourselves. We’re also almost forty. Teens grew up in selfie culture. Sophia tells MIT Technology Review that she was in fifth grade when filter use became widespread, and she and her friends were definitely trying to make themselves look better. “Twelve-year-old girls having access to something that makes you not look like you’re 12?” she says. “Like, that’s the coolest thing ever. You feel so pretty.” But what happens when our digital self doesn’t match the person in the mirror? We’re conducting a…
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