Meta Settlement Restricts Extreme Beauty Filters for Minors

In August, Meta reached a settlement with 47 U.S. states, Washington D.C., and three territories that requires the company to block beauty filters that mimic “extreme transformations” such as cosmetic surgery or heavy makeup for users under 18. The agreement does not ban all digital effects; playful filters (e.g., turning users into elves or puppies) and subtle enhancements like skin smoothing or slight eye glow remain available. State attorneys general have a two-month window to submit written guidance to Meta defining which filters are “bannable,” a deadline that is now closing.

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Teen activist Mia Lerner, a 17-year-old body-image advocate from California, says the settlement is a step forward but worries about the lingering subtle edits. Creative technologist Florencia Solari argues that lawmakers must first define “beauty” itself, observing that the “Instagram face” trend is already fading in favor of new standards. Legal scholar David Greene of the Electronic Frontier Foundation highlights the risk of inconsistent state standards, asking, “What we don’t really have a sense of is what happens if the states disagree with each other?”

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Meta has indicated it will enforce the ban on “cosmetic procedure filters” by early next year. The European Commission, monitoring the U.S. settlement, has proposed the KIDS Act, which would prohibit all beauty filters for minors, stating, “Beauty filters – not extreme beauty filters; beauty filters full stop – are forbidden for minors.” Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier added that the EU seeks “child-friendly services for our children” and sees beauty filters as incompatible with that goal.

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State attorneys general must now deliver letters outlining their definitions of prohibited filters. The guidance will shape Meta’s enforcement mechanisms and could influence broader AI-related regulations for minors, as experts suggest that future technologies may allow teens to generate entire synthetic environments rather than merely adjust appearance.

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• “I've even tried to fix my nose with AI,” — Mia Lerner

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• “It's a very important step in the right direction,” — Mia Lerner

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• “If the states want to define what is a beauty filter, they should define what is beauty,” — Florencia Solari

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• “I think that legislators are asking the wrong question if they're asking where to draw the line for beauty filters," said Frasier.” — Kelly Frasier

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• “In that plan, "Beauty filters – not extreme beauty filters; beauty filters full stop – are forbidden for minors," said European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier.” — European Commission

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