Hi there corpsebride109,
It sounds like you're seeing vertical lines on the screen of your iPhone when taking photos from the front camera. We're glad you've joined us in Apple Support Communities, and we'd like to learn more to see how we can help.
Do these lines appear in the photos you take, or are you only seeing them on-screen while in preview mode in the Camera app before taking a photo? Let's start by making sure you've tried the steps in this support article:
If the camera or flash on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch isn't working
If those steps don't seem to help, let us know if this happens when recording a video or taking a photo in different camera modes, like Portrait or Square. Have a look at this link to learn more about camera modes on your iPhone:
Use camera modes on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
Next, do you still see lines on the screen in the Camera app with automatic HDR turned off?
"On iPhone XS, iPhone XR, and later, go to Settings > Camera, then turn off Smart HDR. Then from the camera screen, tap HDR to turn it off or on." This link provides more details:
Adjust HDR camera settings on iPhone
Let us know how it goes.
Cheers.