Let Them Be Little: Beauty Trends, Social Media, and Childhood
Let Them Be Little: Beauty Trends, Social Media, and Childhood
I’m going to date myself a bit here, but as a kid growing up in the 70s and 80s, I heard this phrase a lot: “That’s for adults. You’re not old enough.” Coffee was for adults. Late-night TV was for adults. Certain movies were for adults. Adult conversations were for adults. Worrying about bills, work, world events, and grown-up problems was for adults. It was not a perfect system, and I’m not trying to pretend everything was better back then, but there was a mostly clear line between what was for kids and what was for adults. Kids pushed against that line, of course. That’s part of growing up. But adults usually named the line and reminded us, “There is plenty of time for that when you grow up.”
Then we grew up. Those adult things became available to us, and the line faded into memory. Fast forward to being a parent of teens, and I see that line between what is for kids and what is for adults becoming blurry. In some cases, it feels like the line is gone completely. Preteens are walking around with giant vanilla coffees and energy drinks. Adult humor, sexualized content, violence, and mature themes can show up in a feed without a child even looking for them. Kids are exposed to public debates, relationship problems, mental health content, political arguments, trauma stories, and adult conflict online. They can absorb adult-level anxiety through news clips, influencers, comparison culture, and algorithm-driven content long before they are emotionally ready to carry it.
Telling my kids “no” was a lot more complicated than when my parents told me no. My kids could look to the left and right and see other kids getting the thing they wanted: a caffeinated drink, a mature-rated video game, a smartphone, or a social media account on the platform “everyone else” seemed to have. That pressure is not small. It makes parenting harder because the “that’s for adults” line is no longer just inside the home. It is being challenged constantly by peers, platforms, influencers, ads, algorithms, and culture.
I remember hearing a quote when my kids were young: “They are only little once. Let them be little.” That always stuck with me. My wife and I tried hard to do that with our kids, but in this culture, it is hard. An empty cell phone case became a toy smartphone. An old laptop became a toy to “do work on.” And to be fair, they were mimicking what they saw us doing. That part is normal. Kids have always played grown-up. They pretended to cook, drive, work, parent, teach, shop, and talk on the phone. That kind of play can be healthy.
But something has changed. Now the imitation is not just happening through play. It is happening through platforms designed to sell, influence, compare, and keep kids watching. When a social media platform is free, there is still a cost. We become the product. Our kids become the product. Their attention becomes the product. Their insecurity can become the product. Their desire to fit in, look older, be liked, be noticed, and keep up can all be turned into a market. Influencers, algorithms, and targeted marketing find kids and sell, sell, sell. Everything is being commodified.
Now we have new terms entering the world that parents need to understand. Two of them are “Sephora kids” and “cosmeticorexia.” “Sephora kids” refers to younger kids and preteens who are becoming interested in beauty stores, skincare routines, high-end cosmetic products, and adult beauty trends, often because of what they see online. “Cosmeticorexia” is a newer term being used to describe an unhealthy preoccupation with achieving flawless skin. It can include excessive or age-inappropriate use of skincare and cosmetic products, especially when children and teens start chasing adult beauty standards before they even understand what is being sold to them.
This is not just about moisturizer. It is not just about a kid wanting lip gloss or liking a fun face mask. The concern is when kids start believing their normal child or teen skin is a problem to fix. The concern is when preteens are worrying about aging before they have even finished growing. The concern is when a 10, 11, or 12-year-old is watching anti-aging routines, retinol videos, “get ready with me” content, beauty hauls, and flawless-skin tutorials and thinking, “I need that too.”
This is happening most visibly on TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and sometimes Snapchat and Pinterest. The content often travels through hashtags and trends like #SephoraKids, #GRWM, #GetReadyWithMe, #SkincareRoutine, #SkincareTok, #BeautyTok, #CleanGirlAesthetic, #GlassSkin, #AntiAging, #Retinol, #DrunkElephant, and #PreppyAesthetic. Some of these hashtags may look harmless at first. A “get ready with me” video can seem like simple fun. A skincare routine can look like self-care. A product haul can look like a kid enjoying shopping. But underneath some of this content is a bigger message: your face is a project, your skin needs fixed, your appearance needs upgraded, and your value is connected to how polished, smooth, young, clear, trendy, or camera-ready you look.
That is a heavy message for a child.
The Guardian recently wrote about cosmeticorexia and the growing concern that children are becoming more focused on skincare, flawless skin, and adult beauty routines. The article points to concerns about body image and mental health, especially when young kids are using products or absorbing messages that were never really meant for them. It also notes that some children as young as six can already report body image concerns. That should stop us for a minute. Six-year-olds should not be worrying about flawless skin, aging, or whether their normal face needs to be improved.
This is where the old phrase “that’s for adults” may need to come back into our parenting language. Not in a harsh or shaming way. Not in a way that mocks kids for being curious. And not in a way that says all skincare, beauty, or self-expression is bad. But in a way that protects childhood. There are some things kids do not need to carry yet. They do not need to worry about wrinkles. They do not need anti-aging products. They do not need to view every normal bump, pore, freckle, pimple, or skin change as a crisis. They do not need to be pulled into adult beauty marketing before they have had time to feel at home in their own developing bodies.
Parents cannot control every message their kids see, but we can slow the process down. We can name what is happening. We can help them see the difference between healthy care and insecurity being sold back to them. Here are five things parents can do.
1. Bring back the phrase “that’s for adults”
This does not have to be said with anger. It can be calm and clear. “That product is for adult skin.” “That video is made for adults.” “That worry is not something you need to carry right now.” “There will be plenty of time for that when you are older.” Kids need boundaries that make sense. They may not like the boundary in the moment, but the boundary still teaches them something important: childhood is worth protecting.
2. Talk about marketing, not just products
Instead of only saying, “You don’t need that,” explain why they want it. You can say something like, “You probably want that because you’ve seen a lot of videos about it,” or “Companies know kids are watching this content.” Help them understand that influencers may get attention, free products, sponsorships, or money when people buy what they show. Also help them understand that an algorithm will keep showing them more of what they stop and watch. This helps kids start to see the machine behind the trend, and that is a life skill they will need far beyond skincare.
3. Keep skincare simple and age-appropriate
For many kids, skincare does not need to be complicated. A gentle cleanser, moisturizer if needed, and sunscreen are often enough. If there is acne, irritation, or another skin concern, it is better to talk with a pediatrician or dermatologist than to let TikTok build the routine. A good rule is this: if the product is marketed for anti-aging, wrinkle repair, resurfacing, peeling, brightening, or “flawless” adult skin, it is probably not something a child needs.
4. Watch the content with them and ask questions
You do not have to watch hours of “get ready with me” videos or skincare hauls, but sitting with your child for a few minutes can teach you a lot about what they are seeing. Ask questions like, “What do you think they are trying to sell?” “How do you feel after watching this?” “Do you think this makes people feel better about themselves or more worried about themselves?” “Is this person showing real life, or are they performing for the camera?” The goal is not to lecture. The goal is to build a filter in your child’s mind before the algorithm builds one for them.
5. Compliment more than appearance
Kids need to hear that their value is bigger than how they look. Compliment effort, kindness, humor, courage, creativity, honesty, problem-solving, responsibility, friendship, curiosity, and hard work. This does not mean you can never say, “You look nice.” But if appearance becomes the main thing kids hear praised, it can become the main thing they believe matters. We have to keep reminding them, and ourselves, that they are more than a face on a screen.
The positive side is that parents still matter. Your voice still matters. Your boundaries still matter. Your conversations still matter. The culture may be loud, but it does not get the final word. We can help kids enjoy being kids. We can help them question what is being sold to them. We can teach them that taking care of themselves is good, but obsessing over flaws that companies helped them notice is not freedom. There is still room to say, “You are not behind. You do not need to grow up faster. You do not need to fix everything about yourself. There is plenty of time for that when you grow up.”
Stay connected!
~Ryan