Parents worry AI influencers promote unrealistic beauty standards
More than 12,000 parents are urging TikTok to more clearly label AI-generated influencers who could pass as real people to viewers.
More than 12,000 parents are urging TikTok to more clearly label AI-generated influencers who could pass as real people to viewers.
The parents, in an online petition addressed to TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, said they’re concerned that AI influencers — who often show off AI-perfected faces and bodies in their content — may contribute to unrealistic beauty standards and body dysmorphia for children and teenagers.
The letter is sponsored by nonprofit ParentsTogether, which advocates for policies to make the internet safer for kids.
“Virtual influencers” have been around for years, but parents say the more recent explosive growth of generative AI technology has made it harder for casual social media users, especially children, to distinguish between real and artificial content.
Since early last year, TikTok has required creators to label all realistic AI-generated content, and the platform allows accounts to apply the label through a toggle function.
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