In the last few months, the hashtag #SephoraKids has taken TikTok by storm. Posts complaining about kids—often under the age of twelve—buying what most dermatologists deem unnecessary products for their age and being rude to employees and fellow customers alike have garnered a great deal of attention. This raises the question:  Who is to blame for the “Sephora kid” epidemic?

Publications like The Independent blame adult beauty influencers for the Sephora kid trend; however, statistics from Influencer Marketing Hub show that only 10% of adult beauty influencer followers are under the age of eighteen. “Kidfluencers” have risen in popularity and market toward kids their age as they are Gen Alpha content creators with large TikTok followings. In 2022, Kim Kardashian’s nine-year-old daughter, North West, shared a morning routine on TikTok, which contributed to the popularity of the 'Sephora kid' trend and marked her emergence as a “kidfluencer.” It is common for parents of “kid-fluencers’ to manage their children's social media accounts, which can involve partnerships and sponsored content. 

The companies selling the products have also been alleged to be responsible. In response to the controversy surrounding tweens using their acidic products such as retinol, Drunk Elephant came out with a post titled “Can kids & tweens use Drunk Elephant?”, to which the initial response was “Yes!” However, Drunk Elephant cautioned tweens to “stay away from [their] more potent products that include acids and retinol—[your] skin does not need these ingredients yet.”  Dermatologist Brooke Jeffy responded to Drunk Elephant’s recommendations for safe products to use by saying, “While they are avoiding recommending their products with acids and retinol, many of these products still address more mature skin issues and are likely to be heavy for tween and teen skin.”

‘Kidfluencers’, and companies alike highlight the dangers of unrestricted internet usage at a young age. Gen Alpha is the first generation to grow up surrounded by social media. This subsequently exposed them to beauty standards intended for older audiences. Trends spread by members of Gen Z have influenced insecurities in the younger generation. For example, there was a trending aging filter on TikTok that supposedly showed what people would look like when they were older. Influencers appeared disgusted with how they aged because of the wrinkles that appeared on their face when using the filter. A new TikTok trend features skits and commentary that mimic and mock the 'Sephora kids' for their interest in anti-aging products. Other trends on the platform also promote anti-aging messages. As editor and writer Melody Mulugeta stated, “Rather than solely blaming the younger generation, their parents, or the internet for this usage issue, it's essential to foster open communication and guide kids through the complexities of societal expectations.” Mulugeta’s words suggest that the media capitalizes on young women’s insecurities and criticizes them for the results, showing how in a patriarchal society, girls struggle to appeal to the masses. This concept is particularly relevant to fast-paced media trends that come and go in weeks if not days, which is both widespread and the same media that the older generation uses to critique young girls.

The exposure to this type of media has led to the exploitation of kidfluencers and the indoctrination of other young girls into the trends of anti-aging. The Gen Alpha girls are thus expected to change their way of existing to conform to the expectations set for them. Youtuber Salem Tovar, known for making social commentary video essays, comments on the Sephora critique by stating “[the Sephora kids] fall into the trap of believing that they have to sacrifice the things that they love even if it's considered a little cringy for the sake of conformity it's not worth it what is worth it is devoting yourself your time your energy to things that genuinely fulfill you. And I don’t think a $50 dollar drunk elephant product can give you that.” This creator is thus stating that the kids should break away from the societal expectations of them to fulfill beauty standards and allow themselves to be kids and enjoy what they love, not what society tells them to love.