Letting Girls Grow Up too Fast

The notorious phenomenon of so-called “Sephora kids” has taken the world by storm and, despite everyone blaming social media for the unfortunate upbringing of these kids, it’s the parents who are most responsible for it.

For those unfamiliar, this trend refers to the wave of little girls posting TikToks about their beauty routines, discussing their most recent choice of retinol moisturizers and boasting about the luxury brand makeup they just purchased. People are outraged and for a good reason. Many say that these topics are highly inappropriate for someone as young as a 11-year-old. Little girls should not be so preoccupied with how they look on the internet and following influencer-inspired trends to gain likes and views. Yet, to watch these controversial videos and exclusively blame social media is to miss the root cause. Social media does influence young girls but parents, those entrusted to care and protect their children, are enabling that to happen. 

According to a survey by Common Sense Media, 47 percent of U.S respondents aged 11 to 12 years were using TikTok in 2022. This goes against the company’s own rule that users must be 13 years old or older to be allowed on the platform. Critics are quick to blame social media for the “Sephora Kid” phenomenon, but the real issue here is the type of negligent parenting style that overlooks the fact that their child is consistently exposed to potentially harmful content. 

Social media is not a net evil. The premise that a service will provide free content in exchange for ad revenue and will use an algorithm in order to prioritize content users will like is not unethical in and of itself. The crucial question is whether users will use it wisely given the free rein and that their choices are reinforced by the algorithm. At the end of the day, we are creatures predisposed towards addiction and contention, because these things are entertaining to us. An adult should have the discernment to know what messages are beneficial and which are not. This is something learned through wisdom gained from life experience and weighted against a trained moral compass. A child does not have the same level of discernment because children lack experience and need to be taught right from wrong. 

It is a parent’s responsibility to teach this to their children. A “Sephora kid” cannot exist without a “Sephora parent”- a parent who takes their young children to the beauty store, validates their child’s every demand, and encourages them to use social media. What these parents may or may not know is that by allowing their girls unrestricted access to addictive algorithms and media messages, they expose them to a toxic environment that portrays consumerism and popularity as some of the highest virtues out there. 

We live in an era of distractions and one of the main narratives being pushed is that people, including children, should do whatever they feel is right for themselves. It is imperative that parents step up and start playing a more active role in their children’s digital experiences, unless they want their kids to develop their character from harmful trends. 

The negative consequences of social media will continue to make headlines because we are facing a new frontier of unrestricted access to information, something largely unknown to boomers and others before us. Whether future generations will be able to rise above the noise and use technology for good will largely depend on whether parents foster an open line of communication to equip their children with the critical thinking skills necessary to face the digital age.