Recently, people have taken notice of a weird phenomenon going on with the younger generation, Gen Alpha. All over the United States, kids aged 8-11 or even younger can be seen being obsessed with makeup and skincare. While this can be a normal thing, many report seeing very young kids inside makeup stores like Sephora, and buying products which aren’t meant for their age group. Parents on social media can be seen posting videos about their kids wanting makeup and skincare products for the holidays instead of things more fitted to their age.
Many people on social media have acknowledged this and claim that kids are simply growing up too fast. “They don’t have a childhood anymore, they just want to grow up as fast as they can.” One TikTok user shares. Some argue that social media is the root cause of this issue. Most kids now have phones as soon as they start developing cognitively. Which, in turn, gives them access to all sides of social media. Kids may feel pressured to act like the adults they see on their screens. Also, there aren’t many social media pages aimed towards kids, most of the latest influencers are all talking about their skincare routine or the best makeup products.
Makeup store employees have communicated that they’ve been seeing an influx of kids going into their stores and buying many products that they don’t necessarily need. Some employees have seen kids buying up to $500 worth of products from their stores. Kids can be seen buying serums, toners, and moisturizers that all contain harsh ingredients for young skin. Even though most of these products are aimed towards older ages, tweens can be seen buying and using them as well. The brand Drunk Elephant seems to be a hit for younger kids nowadays, as a numerous amount of people on social media see kids buying a good deal of their products. An anonymous Sephora employee recalls, “When I was working as a cashier, I saw a girl around ten years old buying over $300 worth of Drunk Elephant products and her mom just let her.” Experiences like these have been shared all over social media, and many people in the comments share the same sentiments of the children growing up too soon.
This situation ties into how many Gen Alpha kids are glued to their devices now. Parents have described how their kids throw massive tantrums when they don’t have access to their devices. Teachers – and other individuals in education – detail how they’ve never had kids so mean and unwilling to participate. While we see these effects on the new generation, some believe that the parents are at fault. All over social media, parents are stating that when they’re tired of parenting, so they just hand their kids a device. This may have worked for a little bit, but now we are starting to see the impact that devices have on young children. The “Sephora 10 year olds” are just the beginning of the issues that social media has on kids.
Gen Alpha may be growing up too fast, but it could be the effect that social media has had on them. They’re buying products that don’t suit their skin and are wearing makeup which can damage their skin. A multitude of videos on social media can be seen diving into this topic and what it means for future generations. People are starting to finally learn just how much social media can influence young people.
