Beauty filters can contribute to body image woes and anxiety

Beauty filters are increasingly contributing to body image issues and anxiety, particularly among young people, according to experts.

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FROM C1 She references the growing "looksmaxxing" trend, which has gained traction especially among younger men on mainstream social media platforms such as TikTok since 2024. The trend centres on maximising one's physical appearance through subtle enhancements (such as make-up or grooming) and more extreme measures (like cosmetic surgery).

"There are content creators in the US who use artificial intelligence (AI) beauty filters to create enhanced versions of customers and then sell the enhanced picture to them for about $80 a person," she says, admitting that she has been tempted to buy one. Dr Victor Kwok, a consultant psychiatrist at local mental health clinic Private Space Medical, notes that social media use exacerbates mental health conditions such as anorexia nervosa and body dysmorphic disorder, particularly among younger individuals.

Referencing a 2016 study he conducted while practising at the Singapore General Hospital, which examined social media use in people with eating disorders, the 45-year-old says: "Out of 55 participants with eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, 41.8 per cent felt that social media perpetuated their illness, with greater use correlating to increased severity."