Dr Sharon explained that the problem deepens because almost every app now offers built-in filters that smooth skin and lighten tone.
Published Nov 15, 2025 | 11:32 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 15, 2025 | 11:32 AM
Representational image. Credit: iStock
Synopsis: At the Dakshin Health Summit 2025, Dr. Sharon Baisil warned of the “filter generation” driven by K-pop ideals of flawless “glass skin.” Social media filters and intense societal pressure in South Korea fuel anxiety, depression, and suicides among youth. He urged dermatologists to educate patients on realistic skin health, promote authenticity over edited perfection, and collaborate with mental health experts to restore genuine confidence.
Open any social media app, and flawless faces fill the screen. Smooth, bright, pore-less — the kind of perfection that even healthy skin can’t naturally hold. For many young people, especially Gen Z, beauty is now defined not by how they look in the mirror, but by how they appear on camera.
At the Dakshin Health Summit 2025, Dr. Sharon Baisil, epidemiologist and AI expert, spoke about this growing phenomenon — the “filter generation.”
He said, “Nowadays all our kids, especially Gen Z are behind K-pop and K-drama, including my daughter. What the kids don’t know is that South Korea is a country which has too much toxicity in the society and there is too much competition.”
“This culture have created a global beauty template — fair, flawless, glass-like skin,” he added.
He went on to explain that beneath the flawless glow seen online lies a more troubling reality. “There is a large number of kids in South Korea of different age groups undergoing treatment for depression and anxiety… so many are dying by suicides because of the societal pressure,” he said.
Dr. Sharon’s words reveal is how beauty ideals, exported through K-pop and social media, have turned appearance into a psychological burden.
Expanding on the phenomena, Dr. Sharon described how technology itself reinforces these insecurities.
“There are very high standards for the skin color, the V-shaped face structure, and something called “glass skin”, which means the face should reflect like the back of a pan,” he said. “Our kids are blindly following this culture.”
He explained that the problem deepens because almost every app now offers built-in filters that smooth skin and lighten tone.
“Most of the social-media software have in-built filters so they will look fairer, their skin looks smooth. Even Zoom also has got a similar filter in which you look really nice in online presentation.”
What he described underscores a modern paradox: the more people enhance themselves online, the more disconnected they feel offline. Many, he said, begin to avoid social interaction or seek medical treatments to match their filtered selves.
To counter this, Dr. Sharon urged dermatologists to act not just as clinicians but as educators—helping people understand the difference between healthy skin and edited perfection.
He emphasised that conversations in clinics should begin with realistic expectations and awareness about what constitutes normal skin texture, tone, and pigmentation.
He also highlighted the need for collaboration between dermatology and mental-health professionals, especially for younger patients who struggle with self-image issues. His message was clear: awareness must come before action.
By teaching patients to value skin health over skin tone and authenticity over filters, Dr. Sharon believes the industry can shift focus from “perfect skin” to “well-being.”
The goal, he suggested, is not to erase individuality but to restore confidence that doesn’t depend on a camera’s beauty mode.
(Edited by Amit Vasudev)
