Sephora and Ulta shoppers have experienced an epidemic of pre-teen girls invading their space. Many will destroy testers, open sealed products to use, and beg their parents for hundreds of dollars of skincare products. Why are these children acting like this and why aren’t their parents doing anything to stop this? Well, the “tween” phase is slowly dying out due to social media and other influences.

First off, why are kids so obsessed with skincare? These children have clear and smooth skin and are already using anti-aging skincare. The answer is simple: Social media.

Children, especially Generation Alpha, have had near unrestricted access to the internet since they were extremely young. Kids have always been the most easily influenced and malleable, and so when they see somebody using something popular, even when it isn’t targeted to their age group, they want that product. This is the case with these children.

Another huge influence to this wave of teens is the lack of targeted third-spaces for them. A third space is described as “a place away from home or work”, or in this case, school. Since places like “Justice” and “Limited Too” no longer have their own stores, tweens are forced to find the next best thing to experiment with. In this case, Sephora and Ulta.

The limit, in my opinion, is when 5-year olds are making “get ready with me” videos on Tik-Tok and are using expensive skincare, with their process being longer than many other adults. Plus, many kids are putting these things on their face daily, like retinol and Vitamin C, which is doing far more harm than good. Children are even getting chemical burns on their faces due to this over usage. 

Now, I feel the way that these children are fawning over these products and the way they treat workers is almost deplorable, however I think the parents are to blame. These parents have allowed their children to have near unrestricted social media, are taking them to Sephora, and are allowing them to buy hundreds of dollars of unneeded products. The parents are enabling this, and are rewarding their children’s negative behavior.

Yes, pre-teens should be interested in taking care of themselves. However, the things that they should be using are far more simple. A basic moisturizer if needed, a salicylic acid acne cream if needed, and sunscreen. Product companies like “Drunk Elephant” or “Glossier” are not formulated for their young skin, and will damage it with thorough use.

Today’s society, especially on social media, is hyperfocused on overconsumption, and people are buying far too many unneeded things.This behavior portrayed by adults on the internet is then influencing these children to do the same. Pre-teens should be interested in taking care of their skin, but only in moderation, and not to the extremes that these tweens are participating in.