Instagram Bans Face-Altering Filters That Have a Plastic Surgery Effect

It's now very well known that the majority of the content that we see on Instagram is very, very unrealistic.

Instagram and other social media platforms are known to enhance the way people portray their ordinary lives, and with the help of numerous edits and filters, anybody can have the "perfect life."

But it looks like Instagram is beginning to put its foot down when it comes to filters after it has now banned some of its most popular face-altering filters.

Keep scrolling to learn more...

Instagram is one of the most popular social media apps in the world.

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 With over 1 billion active users every month, it's safe to say that Instagram is now a way of life.

People are now obsessed with the picture-taking app.

And users literally document their day-to-day lives on the app, with many even earning a living from using Instagram.

As fun as Instagram is...

It does have many flaws.

And one of these flaws is filters.

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 The majority of things posted on Instagram are heavily edited, tweaked, and filtered.

Instagram offers an entire range of filters.

And some of these filters are capable of editing and altering a person's entire face.

They are very popular on Instagram stories...

And they dramatically enhance users' faces, using effects that smooth the skin, eliminate blemishes and enhance features such as the lips and eyes.

A lot of these filters are artistic and experimental...

Users simply cannot get enough of the face filters, but what about the effect they're having on appearance perceptions?

These types of filters are known to damage self-esteem...

Scientific research has shown that Instagram likes are a form of validation that we all crave, so the more perfect our photos appear, the more likes we will get.

So it wasn't a great idea to include a plastic surgery face filter...

Research has already suggested that these face-changing filters can have a negative effect on the way people see themselves, so including a plastic surgery filter was a shady move on Instagram's part.

Instagram has decided to take action.

They are removing all augmented reality (AR) filters that depict or promote cosmetic surgery, amid concerns they harm people's mental health.

The surgery filters were promoting an unhealthy body image...

Effects that make people look like they have had lip injections, fillers or a facelift will be among those banned.

The filters were intended to be a positive experience for users.

"We're re-evaluating our policies - we want our filters to be a positive experience for people," an Instagram spokesman said to the BBC.

The plastic surgery effects are no longer available.

"While we're re-evaluating our policies, we will remove all effects from the effects gallery associated with plastic surgery, stop further approval of new effects like this and remove current effects if they're reported to us," the spokesman went on to say.

Users had the power to create their own face-altering filters.

In August, an update to the Instagram app allowed users to create their own virtual effects, such as animations and custom face filters, that can be superimposed on images and videos - meaning more and more filters were available to use.

But some of these new filters were branded as "extreme."

via: Getty Images

 FixMe, one of the plastic surgery filters,  showed how a cosmetic surgeon marked a person's face before procedures. Its creator, Daniel Mooney, told the BBC: "FixMe was only ever supposed to be a critique of plastic surgery, showing how unglamorous the process is with the markings and bruising."

Mooney believes that banning his filter won't make a difference.

via: Getty Images

 "I can see where Instagram is coming from, but for as long as some of the most-followed accounts on Instagram are of heavily surgically 'improved' people, removing surgery filters won't really change that much," he went on to say.

A lot of users are happy about the decision to ban the filter.

"It's super unhealthy to get used to seeing your face forever filtered," one user wrote, outlining the negative impacts on mental health caused by filters such as these.

Many have hailed it a "fantastic decision."

Body dysmorphia has risen since the arrival of Instagram, and many believe that these unrealistic face filters do not help when trying to combat this condition.

But some don't agree with the decision to ban the filters.

Some users believe that the filter isn't a trigger to get plastic surgery in order to improve appearance.

Instagram needs to do all it can to tackle body dysmorphia.

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 Filters such as these generate unrealistic expectations, particularly amongst young people, and the long-term mental health effects that they can have can be catastrophic. Keep scrolling to read more about Instagram filters and edits, and how one influencer was called out for a major edit flaw in all of her posts...

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