If you’re on TikTok, you’ve probably seen the common “10 year olds in Sephora” stories going around recently with Gen Alpha kids. Gen Alpha’s are kids based from 2010-2024, and have recently been quite the topic on the news and various social media platforms. Throughout the past few years, we’ve seen some common trends throughout these kids but this year, Christmas and birthday presents look a lot different for most parents. Many children were putting items meant for elders, such as Drunk Elephant skincare, Stanley Cups, and various makeup products, rather than Barbies and other toys.
But why is this happening? We’re seeing 9 year olds in crop tops, and 10 year olds wearing a full face of makeup. This is because before social media, kids were only competing to look “mature” with the people in their grade, or age group. But now, they are competing with 16, 17, and other teenagers to want to “fit in” to online circles. So, to fit in with the age group, children tend to replicate what people older than them are doing. Additionally, the reason these kids are “growing up too fast” are partly because of the unrestricted internet access and the relevancy culture we have today, exposing kids to these brands starting at a very young age.
For instance, Dermatologist Brooke Jeffy, founder of BTWN, a teen skincare brand says kids should be directed to “age-appropriate” products. Expressing concern for Drunk Elephant’s products, Jeffy states,
“While they are avoiding recommending their products with acids and retinol, many of these products still address more mature skin issues and are likely to be heavy for tween [and children] skin. I am confused as to what they actually think tweens [and children] should use, and it seems like they do not really know likely because this was a brand created for adults that they are trying to retrofit to a younger audience.”
Yet although Drunk Elephant was originally created for adults, the brand themselves state that many of its products are indeed designed for kids. So what can we do instead? To start off, as other Dermatologists say, limit the exposure of skincare and other makeup products to your kids at a young age. Skincare with products such as retinol and niacinamide, tend to not only be harmful for children’s skin, but also are unnecessary. Additionally, parents should be monitoring small children’s use on social media platforms, not only for online safety reasons, such as cyberbullying and harassment, but also to restrict them from trends and products meant for more mature ages.
Sources: https://www.beautyindependent.com/drunk-elephant-says-many-products-designed-kids/
https://www.glamour.com/story/kids-obsession-drunk-elephant-skin-care
Photo: Beauty Independent
