Meta is shutting down the Meta Spark platform on January 14, 2025, completely removing third-party beauty filters from Instagram and Facebook. This marks a fundamental shift in the use of augmented reality (AR) filters on social media platforms. So why is Meta Spark being shut down? Details in our news…

Meta Spark is shutting down: Goodbye to third-party beauty filters for Instagram and Facebook

In fact, Meta Spark was a platform that allowed developers worldwide to create more than 2 million customized AR effects. Meta said it made the decision to shut down because it wanted to focus on higher-priority products. In the process, the company will highlight new augmented reality-based devices, in particular the Orion AR glasses.

To date, Meta Spark has enabled users to develop tools ranging from beauty filters that change facial features to fun and creative AR effects. However, beauty filters were often criticized for altering aesthetic perception and contributing to psychological problems such as body dysmorphia. With the removal of filters, the impact of highly engaged filtered content is expected to decrease.

Meanwhile, Meta announced that third-party filters could be ported to alternative platforms like Snapchat. However, Snapchat’s smaller user base compared to Meta’s platforms means lost revenue and visibility for developers. Many developers expressed their disappointment with the decision on social media, saying that Meta had let them down.

In short, with the closure of Spark, Meta will focus on a different path in augmented reality. However, users will now only be able to use the filters that Meta has built into its own apps. Do you think removing beauty filters can reduce the negative impact of social media? You can share your views with us in the comments section below…