A "key consideration" over whether to lift the ban on cosmetic surgery effect filters was the risk of a negative impact on "Competitiveness/Growth"

"A. Meeting Goal Decide on whether to continue, modify, or lift the ban on Cosmetic Surgery AR Effects that we instituted in October 2019 in response to expert and press concerns about potential negative wellbeing impacts (especially on minors). Cosmetic Surgery Effects (as referenced in this doc) are AR / camera effects that change people's facial structure in a way that must be achieved by plastic surgery (such as enlarging eyes or lips, changing the position of eyes or changing the shape of nose or chin) and cannot be achieved by ordinary makeup techniques, unless the result is an exaggerated or humorous transformation (e.g., rapid aging, babyface, character transformation). Continuing to ban Cosmetic Surgery AR Effects negatively impacts creator voice & innovation, and may impact long-term growth (although we lack definitive data)." "[E]xperts from around the world -- APAC included -- generally agree that these effects are cause for concern for mental health and wellbeing, especially amongst vulnerable populations (females, youth, those with a history of mental health concerns, etc.) Additionally, academic research on related topics (e.g., wellbeing impacts of seeing 'ideal' images in media) gives us cause for concern." "C. Key Considerations Competitiveness / Growth: We do see adoption from both users and creators, though we don't have conclusive product impact given the ban was not tested. We face a competitive landscape of sharing effects, and it is likely that we will see a negative growth impact, simply because any restriction is likely to reduce engagement if people go elsewhere. Long-term, limiting our platform could handicap us as we look to bootstrap our network of Creators to build for our future devices."