TikTok's latest viral filter says a lot about our obsession with age

Across TikTok, side-by-side faces are portraying the present and the future: how a person looks today and how their face could possibly appear decades from now. The “aged” filter on the app is going viral for predicting the fate of one’s appearance, down to the very last wrinkle. Millions of users have turned to the AI-powered filter, which may or may not be accurate and nonetheless has elicited some strong reactions. Tweet may have been deleted (opens in a new tab) Tweet may have been deleted (opens in a new tab) Tweet may have been deleted (opens in a new tab) In essence, TikTok users — from influencers to past Love Island winners to aestheticians to Kylie Jenner — are trying out the filter, which shows your current self beside an AI-generated version of you looking significantly older. The resulting feedback lies on a spectrum. One user said she didn’t find the filter depressing at all: “I look good. I look like my grandma!” Another presented an exaggerated skincare routine after trying the filter; yet another said “I am 100 percent not OK with this”, gasping at her aged reflection. While some TikTokkers have welcomed the hypothetical visual, the more common responses are horror and concern at the aesthetics of an older age. Credit: Screenshot: TikTok / Delaney Childs Credit: Screenshot: TikTok / WhatTheChic The hashtag #agefilter now has over 288 million views, and counting. But its popularity is nothing compared to the size and breadth of TikTok’s communities dedicated…TikTok's latest viral filter says a lot about our obsession with age