'Chubby filter' pulled from TikTok after user backlash

Sadie said she didn't think the filter should be allowed on TikTok without some kind of warning

A viral filter which made people appear overweight has been removed from TikTok, after the BBC reported it had sparked a wave of user criticism.

Known as a "chubby filter", the artificial intelligence (AI) tool took a photo of a person and edited their appearance to look as though they had put on weight.

Many people have shared their "before and after" images on the platform with jokes about how different they looked - however, others said it was a form of "body shaming" and should not be permitted.

Experts have also warned the filter could fuel a "toxic diet culture" online and potentially contribute to eating disorders.

TikTok said the filter had been uploaded by a CapCut, which is separate to TikTok but has the same parent company, ByteDance.

TikTok also told the BBC it was reviewing videos uploaded to the app that used the effect, and was making them ineligible for recommendation and blocking them from teen accounts.

It added any videos that breached its community guidelines - for example by featuring bullying or harassment - would be removed.

'Ridiculed for their body'

Sadie, who has 66,000 followers on TikTok, had been one of those calling for the "mean" filter to be banned.

"It felt like girls being like, 'oh, I've won because I'm skinny and wouldn't it be the worst thing ever to be fat'," the 29-year-old from Bristol said.

She said she was contacted by women who said they had deleted TikTok from their phones because the trend made them feel bad about themselves.

"I just don't feel like people should be ridiculed for their body just for opening an app," she said in comments made before the tool was pulled.

Dr Emma Beckett, a food and nutrition scientist, told the BBC she felt the trend was "a huge step backwards" in terms weight stigma.

"It's just the same old false stereotypes and tropes about people in larger bodies being lazy and flawed, and something to be desperately avoided," she said.

She warned that could have a broad social effect.

"The fear of weight gain contributes to eating disorders and body dissatisfaction, it fuels toxic diet culture, making people obsess over food and exercise in unhealthy ways and opening them up to scam products and fad diets."

'Damaging' and 'toxic'

Nina said the filter made her feel 'uncomfortable'

Prior to the app being pulled, the BBC spoke to a number of TikTok users who said they were uncomfortable with the filter.

Nina, who lives in north Wales, said she felt it fed into a "narrative" being spread online tying together people's appearance with their self-worth.

"This is a toxic view that I thought we were moving away from," she said.

"If a filter is clearly offensive it should be removed," she told the BBC.

Emma, who lives in Ayr, agreed.

"My first thought when I saw the 'chubby filter' was how damaging that would be.

"People were basically saying they looked disgusting because they were 'chubby' and as a curvier woman, who essentially looks like the "after" photo on this filter, it was disheartening for me."

Emma said she was concerned that young girls and boys might see the filter and think they were "the butt of the joke"

Testing the 'chubby filter'

By Jessica Sherwood, BBC Social News

Filters - which use AI to manipulate a person's appearance - are common on TikTok.

Many are harmless - for example one popular trend makes it appear as if a person was made out of Lego.

Some of the most popular videos using the filter have been liked tens of thousands of times.

For the purpose of this article, I used the filter on myself.

I felt incredibly uncomfortable.

As someone who is very body positive and has struggled with their self-image in the past, using it couldn't be further away from how I personally use social media and I was unhappy that TikTok pushed it to me in the first place.

The filter changed my entire appearance, complete with text stating it "makes you chubby"

This filter appeared on my TikTok "For You" page the other day despite me not engaging with any weight-related or health content.

After I watched the video and read the comments, TikTok began to suggest similar videos from other people using the filter, and even another where AI can turn you thinner.

Thankfully it also began to start showing me creators who were criticising the trend, some of whom we've spoken to for this article.

AI images and filters have become commonplace on TikTok and quickly accepted to be used for fun - the same way some Gen-Zs and Millennials might remember Snapchat filters.

But filters like these, although they may seem fun, can be very damaging to someone's mental health and encourage them to compare themselves not only to others, but an unrealistic version of themselves.