As someone who is a regular user of the social media app TikTok, I have found myself on the receiving end of several different videos surrounding different topics; whether it be videos about the insane obsession with the new Stanley cup and how it enables habits of consumerism, some person discussing just how attractive Jacob Elordi is (as if we needed his new movie Saltburn to know that), I have seen several sides of TikTok and am glad to report that although I am incapable of showing enough self control to stop the scrolling and put the phone down, I am the recipient of a large proportion of the latest topics and trends; However, there is one conversation that I feel does not get talked about enough: the raids of Sephoras and Ultas by preteens. I have seen the occasional video discussing the matter, but not enough people are raising questions about this. So I am wondering: why are these kids buying products with their parents’ dime that they don’t need? Why is it such an issue among older generations what these kids do? Have we seen this behavior before?
All over my For You Page recently has been back to back videos of women from Generation Z and Millennials talking about how kids have been flocking to their local Sephoras and Ultas unsupervised and wreaking absolute havoc in the store. Videos have been taken of kids coming in and destroying testers, kids being disrespectful to employees and other shoppers, and also, the children themselves making videos doing hauls with these luxurious products (a couple of very famous ones being here and here). But what exactly is influencing these kids to go out and purchase these lavish products that they not only don’t need, but also aren’t intended for? The answer is the influencers they follow.
It is not uncommon knowledge that children look up to and are inspired by those that are older than them. We were all at a the same mental space at the ripe age of 12 where we wanted nothing more than to be like our cool older siblings or the cool celebrities we see on TV (for me personally, it was Tori and Jade from Victorious) We would do whatever we could to emulate our icons. We would buy similar clothes to them, maybe style our hair a certain way, or we would use their slang in our regular vernacular in the hopes to somewhat be like the figure who inspired us so intensely. The new generation (Generation Alpha) are no different than we were at their age. They look up to various social media celebrities (a few examples being Alix Earle and the Ernst Twins) and, just like us, want to imitate people who they perceive as these awesome and likable figures. It can be seen through the videos that everyone has a problem with this behavior because these kids are not only potentially ruining their skin, but they are also causing mayhem in the stores they walk into by destroying various testers (more examples of this here and here).
With people at this age being impressionable beyond means, if their favorite influencer recommends a product, they are going to have no issue asking their parents to drive them to any given store and beg for it’s purchase, and will do so without any clue in the world as to what the product they are buying actually is. A lot of the items these children are buying are doing more harm than good. Products like retinol and any sort of chemical exfoliant are used for mature skin and skin that has an issue with its barrier. So of course, with this information being known by several users on TikTok’s platform, this information is going to spread and people are going to use their voice to speak out on the dilemma.
They are highly susceptible to anything one of their highly-looked-up-to celebrities say, but is this really new information? When we were all of that age, we were keeping track of every word and every move that our influencers at the time said! I hung onto every word that my older sibling said because I looked up to them, in all means, for guidance on how to be “cool”. I listened to songs they played in the car, wore clothes similar to them, and tried to mimic them in the hopes to replicate the person I strived to be. This behavior not only revolved around my sibling, but various celebrities who I thought of as beautiful and likable. It was not only me who did this, but also my friends and everyone else in my age bracket (those born between 1998-2003). With the current situation of kids going and buying all of these things that the influencer they emulate says they need, it makes complete sense for them to go out, and buy it! This is not shocking news, and TikTok users should not be acting like it is.
Generations upon generations continue to prove the same thing: imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. We did it to those we looked up to, the kids before us did it, and now, the kids proceeding us are doing it. Although the concern shown online is justifiable, there is no way of stopping kids from being kids! The best we can do is try to keep them safe from anything too extreme for their skin and sway them into a better direction for their actual needs.
Kindly sharing the message that “X” is better for you than “Y” will cause a greater shift in the actions they’re displaying than calling them shameful and ridiculous. TikTok users need to remember that we were once in their position as well, and all they are wanting to do when they act like us is be like us. Gentle guidance can help them to where they need to be!
Until then, we will let history repeat itself, and we will allow the girls and boys to have their right of passage into the adult world.