Our childhoods were consumed with rainbow loom bracelets, EOS lip balms, decorated S’well bottles, lokai bracelets and kid-friendly makeup kits. Now, as we mature and the next generation of youth takes our place, they are expected to experience the same formative, awkward preteen phases that we did. But instead, social media, Kendra Scott jewelry, Lululemon clothing and Drunk Elephant skincare are taking over, erasing childhoods in exchange for expensive jewelry and anti-aging skincare.
The time will come to spend babysitting money on fancy makeup and clothes, but it is unnecessary for 10-year-olds to use their parents’ money for these kinds of purchases.
The pace of our childhood is fast enough, with elementary and middle school years going by in a flash. But with social media exposing children to even more fast-paced trend cycles, the time for being a child is up in just a few short years, exchanging Claire’s for Sephora. The rise in screen time for kids has resulted in more exposure to social media, where For You Pages are filled with trends meant for young adults.
As every kid does, the upcoming generation admires people older and more mature than them. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, children having access to content not meant for them has led them to forget how to have frivolous fun. Instead, they skip right to activities meant to be experienced in their later years.
This fast-paced evolution has become evident with the surge of tweens ravaging Sephoras. Retinol cream and anti-aging Drunk Elephant skincare has filled For You Pages, and as children watch in admiration, they beg their parents to purchase the products they’re seeing on screen. However, these $60 moisturizers are not meant for them.
Before the sticky kid hands get ahold of these products, they need to spend time with slime and sticker books. Children should stop rushing into their teen years and enjoy their time as a child.
