The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Source:
Tuesday, January 01, 2019 02:47 PM
Apps Accused Of Promoting Plastic Surgery, Unrealistic Beauty Standards To Children
The games were targeted in a change.org petition using the hashtag #surgeryisnotagame. More than 128,600 people signed the petition asking Apple, Google, and Amazon to remove the games or make them "less appealing" to kids.
"Certainly when you look at some of the images in the app, they certainly look like they're geared toward young children," plastic surgeon Dr. David Cangello told CBS News. "The concern is that this is unmonitored and young kids have access to these apps."
Cangello said plastic surgery is not something children are mature enough to process.
"At early ages we want to be promoting positive self body image and I think that plastic surgery, particularly cosmetic surgery, is more of an adult subject. There are things we don't just talk to our kids about," he said. "We don't talk to them about alcohol. We don't talk to them about sex until it's emotionally age-appropriate, and I think cosmetic surgery fits into the same subject matter."
Cangello continued that some surgeries are sometimes medically necessary for children.
"I don't think there's any debate that reconstructive type procedures for craniofacial anomalies is certainly acceptable," he said.
Cangello said that social media has "changed the game" when it comes to children being aware of and picking apart their appearance at younger ages.
"Now, kids have smartphones that have cameras on them and they're constantly taking selfies," he said "so they're always analyzing their appearance and not only are they analyzing their appearance but now they're posting these pictures on social media so they know that the whole world is going to see these pictures and it's essentially a permanent photograph of them that will be out there forever."
CBS News reports that a survey by the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons recently found that 42 percent of surgeons said patients want cosmetic surgeries for improved selfies and pictures on social media.
Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr told the Washington Post, "We do not want nor allow these types of apps on the store. We have rules in place against these apps and do not offer them on the App Store." The paper reports a search of the App Store on Tuesday showed that cosmetic surgery games were no longer available.
