TikTok announced it will prevent users under 18 from accessing beauty filters that artificially alter facial features.

The restrictions, set to roll out in the coming weeks, will block teenagers from using filters that enhance eyes, lips, and skin tone. The policy excludes novelty filters such as those adding bunny ears or dog noses, focusing instead on effects that create appearance changes beyond what makeup can achieve.

The decision follows research commissioned by TikTok in partnership with Internet Matters, a UK-based nonprofit organization. The multi-market study, which included participants from Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK, examined how online platforms influence teen identity and relationships.

“Teens and parents raised concerns about ‘appearance’ effects, including that those viewing the content might not realize it had been altered,” TikTok stated in a news release. The study also noted positive aspects of online engagement, with participants acknowledging the benefits of authentic content and community connection.

The platform currently removes approximately 6 million accounts globally each month for age restriction violations and 20 million accounts quarterly for being underage. TikTok plans to strengthen these measures by implementing new machine learning systems to detect age restriction circumvention before the end of the year.

The changes arrive as social media platforms face increasing regulatory pressure worldwide. The UK’s Online Safety Act will enforce stricter underage social media use regulations in 2024. Australia recently passed legislation banning children under 16 from accessing platforms including TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, with potential fines of up to A$49.5 million (U.S.$32M) for non-compliance.

Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, reports that from June 2022 to March 2023, approximately 1% of TikTok’s UK monthly active users were removed for being underage.

Other platforms are implementing similar protective measures. Roblox recently announced restrictions for young users accessing violent or crude content. Instagram introduced “Teen Accounts,” allowing parents greater control over their children’s activity, including blocking nighttime access.

In August, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against TikTok, accusing the social media giant of unlawfully collecting children’s data and impeding parental control over accounts. Soon afterwards, a coalition of 14 state attorneys general, led by New York and California, sued TikTok for allegedly damaging young users’ mental health and collecting data from children under 13 without parental consent.