Skincare and Social Media Threaten Children's Wellbeing
Jennifer Li
September 21, 2024
Characterized by their purchases of Drunk Elephant facial oils and other gaudy skincare serums, “Sephora tweens” have inundated the internet. Invading Sephora and other beauty stores relentlessly, they chase $35 dollar Glow Recipe Dew Drop Serums and $69 dollar Polypeptide Creams to gain fame on TikTok. The case of the “Sephora tweens,” now a distinguished place in the TikTok lexicon, describes children, some as young as eight years old, who mimic the beauty and skincare routines of older TikTok influencers. These children, adopting the behavior of grown adults, remain unaware of the real physical consequences of their precocious habits, forcing us to revisit an age-old issue: the potential dangers of the internet to children.
It is safe to assume, products designed for adults may not be beneficial–or even benign–to children. Alas, influencers are not professionals. To naive, gullible children who cannot yet comprehend the dangers of the internet, an attractive woman with millions of followers may easily win their trust. However, information about the skin, our largest organ, must be treated with more caution. Even though pediatric dermatologist Dr. Crandie Metz admits her content with seeing pre-teens paying attention to their skin, she cautions against the use of high-end products designed for adults. For instance, ingredients like retinol, exfoliating acids, and peptides can cause long-term damage to skin. Using unsuitable products can also lead to rashes, allergic reactions, or increased acne. Kids, whose skins are still developing, should not be picking up products advertised for “wrinkle-reducing” or “brightening and firming” purposes–at twelve, they have no skin pathology of concern! KidsHealth clarifies that children should stick to a simple daily regimen of a gentle cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen. The Glycolic Acid 7% Exfoliating Toner must go.
Influencers, who profit off of engagement, tend not to enlighten young viewers to its consequences. After all, interactions and recreations of their content will earn them more profit from sponsors and sustain their business. Thus, preteens copy their routines and products, blind to the health consequences it presents. Kid creators have also emerged. According to media psychologist Don Grant, peer pressure, which grows especially potent around the pre-teen years, perpetuates the trend. Dr. Grant has created a variation of the existing “parasocial effect,” which describes preteen’s tendency to prioritize the opinions of peers instead of adults, terming it the “parasocial media effect".
Parents and storeworkers alike express similar resistance to the trend. Sephora workers report children storming in and leaving with brimming bags in hand and disheveled aisles behind. Parents shake their heads at pricey, high-end products that pepper their children’s faces with breakouts. Undoubtedly, this combination of kids and skincare has created stress for many parties–except for the companies profiting from such ignorance, who capitalized on social media and continue to advertise their products as friendly to all ages.
This case of the “Sephora tweens” or, simply, “Sephora kids” depicts the perils of social media on kids. Even though both TikTok and Instagram claim they have a 13-year age requirement, the lack of formal verification and reposts on YouTube Kids further the challenge of restricting children’s online activity.
On Tuesday, Sept. 17th, Instagram released a new minor-protection policy in response to parents’ outcries about young exposure to sensitive, inappropriate content. The change mandates that potentially harmful content is censored to app users under the age of eighteen, but users and parents have yet to gauge its effectiveness. However, some requirements, such as the enlisting of adverse health effects to certain videos, sound like a good start.
Until we understand the implications of these new social media policies, the problem persists. Kids naturally want to grow up, and they want what other kids have. Perhaps this phenomenon is inevitable, but we should continue to take strides to mitigate it. Parents and organizations alike should educate children to question what they see on social media. Fortunately, skincare in its core centers on the concept of self-care. However, we cannot risk graver topics making their way to young children’s screens before more threatening consequences manifest.