How old were you when you got your first phone? Would you change anything about it? I think it’s safe to say that our first touch of digital media unlocked many doors for us, whether they were good or bad. One thing we did not have access to however, is a modern app called Tik Tok. From a humble beginning of short lip-syncing videos to fun little dances, Tik Tok has grown into the lives of millions of children, teenagers, and adults.
What is tik tok?
Tik Tok is a social media app that allows users to create and share video posts on any topic. It was first launched in 2016 by a Chinese company called ByteDance. The platform grew into popularity when users noticed that their content they shared promoted creativity, with background music, filters, and many other effects. To give an idea of how influential it is in our lives, Tik Tok has over a billion active users in 150 countries. Tik Tok has limitless categories their content contributes, but a very prominent group promoted is skincare and beauty. There has been a rise of Tik Tok influencers within the past couple of years but recently I’ve noticed every other user seems to be some type of micro-influencer promoting a product related to skincare or cosmetics.
“Drunk Elephant Kids”
There has been many complaints of kids going into stores such as Ulta Beauty or Sephora and purchasing high-end beauty products that have been promoted by influencers on Tik Tok. My own 12-year old cousin had asked for a Drunk Elephant retinol treatment for Christmas. Retinol? Really? Similarly to the Kate Moss thinness in the 90’s, Anti-aging and fear mongering is to this coming generation. With the huge imact of Tik Tok potraying reality through the view of a beauty filter, Kids don’t realize that no one actually looks like that. That it’s an illusion of perfect no one is going to achieve. Unless of course, they buy the products being promoted.
Being told you look 25 or 30 is intended as a burning insult if a young person says it. As someone who had just turned 21 this year, this is frighting! It’s almost a duplicate of “women hit the wall at 30” thinking from misogynists. Big skincare Tiktokers strive off fear mongering about aging; it’s like the last bastion of unhealthy beauty standards that is accepted among progressive type influencers. These standards have made its way down to children who really don’t need anything more than a cleanser and SPF- or if they have serious acne, a dermatologist. This generation of children are watching 20+ year olds who are getting paid to push these products without the mental capacity to understand that they are being duped. The pretty packaging and fun colors of luxuriant products distract from the ingredients that are harmful to young skin.
Self-care is essential to everyone. If this generation of children was just watching these Tik Toks in order to feel inspired to take care of themselves, there would be no rising issue at hand. However, the promotion of unhealthy beauty standards will not only damage their skin, but also their view of selves in the future.
ShoutOut! James Madison University 