Finding Wellbeing in Filters and Selfies
From simple snaps to full-on photo shoots, camera apps and filters are here to stay. But the growing popularity of “beauty filters” and face retouching features sparked an important question on Google’s Digital Wellbeing team: Do these filters have an impact on mental wellbeing?
After conducting multiple studies across four countries and speaking with child and mental health experts from around the world, we learned that the potential for harm is real. The studies showed that 80% of parents said that they’re worried about filters and two-thirds of teens have reported being bullied by peers based on how they look in their selfies. Fortunately, designers and developers can understand and address these issues early on by providing features without sending unintentional signals about personal worth or beauty norms.
The recommendations here build on our principles for digital wellbeing to suggest ways in which harm from face filter use can be anticipated and preempted through defaults, value-neutral language and visuals, transparency, and education. These recommendations are already being incorporated into the Pixel phone and Android Camera app, promoting wellbeing through small adjustments and interventions.
Off by default
The first recommendation is simple: consider making face retouching features off by default. Our research revealed that automatically turning on an app that changes people’s appearance can quietly send a message about how people should manage their appearance. This subtle sense of criticism was one of the most common concerns we heard. As recommended in our wellbeing principles, default settings should support people’s mental wellbeing. This is why the retouching feature is off by default on Pixel phones.
Value-neutral feedback
“Enhancement,” “beautification,” “touch up.” The language of face retouching implies improving or correcting a person’s physical appearance – which suggests that the way they actually look is bad. “Beautification” is a common name for face retouching features that unnecessarily adds a value judgement to a person’s edited image. The same can be said of terms like “slimming,” which imply that one’s body needs improvement.
Even icons follow this pattern. It’s common to see sparkling design elements in face retouching, and while there’s nothing inherently wrong with enjoyable imagery, it can be harmful when connected to something as personal as one’s identity. People have the agency to get sparkly if they desire, but apps should take care when imposing it on a person.
Value-neutral language and visuals focus on describing features and controls, while avoiding implications that the features enhance, correct, or beautify one’s appearance. Pixel phones use the feature name “Face retouching,” rather than “Beautification,” and its associated icon just got an update: The face is still there, but the sparkles are now replaced by an editing pen. Adjustment levels follow the same guidelines, using numbers and symbols or simple terms such as “low” and “high.”
Transparency
Face retouching features can be subtle, making it difficult to know when images are altered. People might be unaware of the camera's default state or forget over time which setting is currently active; real-time previews don’t always communicate the current state of a face retouching setting either. All of these factors can lead to distress when people see their unretouched appearance.
The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery notes that 72% of their members in 2019 saw patients seeking cosmetic surgery to improve their selfies – a 15% increase from the previous year. This makes transparency about face retouching settings especially important. Transparency means taking measures to clearly indicate when face retouching is applied, both in the real-time camera feed and after capturing an image.
Education and awareness
The effects of subtle face retouching are easier to spot by comparing still images, rather than through real-time camera feeds. It’s even easier to compare still images when they’re on the same screen, but this is rarely an option. To complicate matters, the camera feed doesn’t always accurately represent the final look of the picture, leading some to confuse the level of face retouching they’re seeking. One way to create educational moments is by facilitating post-capture comparison of still images.
Our research suggests that many people would appreciate apps that provide more information about the connection between face retouching and wellbeing. This is where the education recommendation comes in. It relates to the digital wellbeing principles of awareness and adaptability, which suggest that context-aware experiences help adapt to people’s diverse goals, abilities, and needs.
Prioritizing a positive self-image
Designers and developers get to create experiences that affect people across all dimensions of their lives. Whether playing, working, exercising, relaxing, or learning, achieving one’s state of wellbeing is a constant journey. Since taking pictures is one of the most common things we do with our phones, prioritizing positive self-image using the techniques described here will allow these experiences to enhance, rather than detract, from a person’s wellbeing.