Are you fond of manipulating your pictures, particularly your selfie photos, through the 'Plastic Surgery' filter app before posting them on your social media account? If you are, it's time to say goodbye to this face filter app because Instagram is shutting down this special effect feature, mimicking the results of plastic surgery.
Yahoo! News reports that "Spark AR, the improved reality platform behind the filters, took to Facebook recently," announcing that it is taking out all effects linked to plastic surgery from the Instagram Gallery Effect. Additionally, the said reality platform adds it is delaying the approval of its new effects linked to plastic surgery indefinitely.
Effects on Mental Health
This is not the first time this social media platform is attempting to show its commitment to address the users' mental health. Just recently, Instagram implemented a new set of limitations for posts that promote cosmetic procedures and weight loss products. This new rule stated that Instagram users below 18 years old would not see posts on this social media with the said promotions revealing either the price or promo code.
Meanwhile, early this year, NBC Universal indicated that the Royal Society for Public Health in the United Kingdom (UK) came out with a report on the effect of social media use on mental health. The said study had 1,500 young respondents, 14 to 24 years old, to whom the researchers asked questions about their mental state and use of social media platforms like Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Snapchat, and YouTube.
The study found that each platform, aside from YouTube, was linked to users' depression and anxiety. Researchers also found that the use of the two most image-oriented platforms, Instagram and Snapchat, were ranked the lowest in terms of users' welfare, specifically pertaining to 'fear of missing out or FOMO' and bullying. While there is no clear and direct impact on mental health mentioned in this research, a big concern with addition to editing and filters of photos is the negative impacts they can have on mental health, specifically on the younger users.
Self-Esteem Booster
Earlier on, Instagram took out its 'Fix Me' filter, an app featuring a drawing pen marking all over the face of the user to point out the parts a cosmetic surgeon can do plastic work on such as tucks and lifts. In addition to this, users can also no longer download and access Instagram's 'Plastica' filter that gives the user bigger lips and brow lift.
Social media users certainly have their respective reasons for downloading filter apps. A common reason is to boost their self-esteem. Fox Business recently reported the studies suggesting the correlation between the use of Instagram among young female users and negative body image, and low self-worth.
Relatively, a study conducted by psychologists from University College London, which was published 2nd quarter of this year, found evidence that both young girls and women are more possibly to want to get plastic surgery if they spend long hours on social media.
