Many TikTok users want the viral AI-powered “chubby filter” banned. This tool edits photos to make people look heavier. Some users share these images as jokes, but others say the filter promotes “body shaming” and should be removed.

Experts Warn of Harmful Effects

Experts warn that such filters can fuel a “toxic diet culture” and increase the risk of eating disorders. TikTok has not responded to requests for comment.

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TikTok Creator Calls for Removal

Sadie, a TikTok creator with 66,000 followers, is pushing for the filter’s removal. She calls it “mean” and believes it reinforces harmful beauty standards. “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,’” said the 29-year-old from Bristol. She said some women deleted TikTok because the trend made them feel insecure. “I just don’t feel like people should be ridiculed for their body just for opening an app,” she added.

Nutrition Expert Criticizes Trend

Dr. Emma Beckett, a food and nutrition scientist, called the trend “a huge step backwards” in fighting 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 explained that fear of weight gain fuels eating disorders, body dissatisfaction, and unhealthy dieting habits. It also pressures people to meet narrow beauty standards rather than focusing on what is healthy for their own bodies.

AI Filters and the Controversy

AI filters are common on TikTok and often used for fun. Some, like the one that makes a person look like a Lego figure, are harmless. However, the “chubby filter” appears to be from an independent developer and has gained massive popularity. Some videos using the filter have received tens of thousands of likes.

Users Express Concern

Nina, a TikTok user from North Wales, believes the filter spreads a harmful message by linking appearance to self-worth. “This is a toxic view that I thought we were moving away from,” she said. She argued that offensive filters should be removed. Emma, another user from Ayr, agreed. “My first thought when I saw the ‘chubby filter’ was how damaging that would be,” she said. As a curvier woman who looks like the filter’s “after” image, she found the trend particularly disheartening.

Push for Body Positivity

Nina was glad to see people criticizing the trend, calling it “immoral and insensitive.” She believes social media should encourage body positivity, not body shaming. “We should be lifting each other up, not shaming each other’s bodies,” she said.

Calls for TikTok to Act

Sadie also wants the filter banned but suggests another approach. She thinks TikTok should add warnings to such content. “Maybe it should have a warning,” she said. If posts include body shaming or eating disorder themes, TikTok could limit their reach instead of promoting them.