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Doctors warn about the shocking extent of children's obsession with TikTok skincare routines and the health risks involved.
Social media has always been a breeding ground for beauty trends, but the latest obsession sweeping TikTok has medical experts genuinely worried.
While some make-up videos might seem harmless enough, what's happening behind the scenes on some viral trends is more concerning.
And in an era where weight loss drugs like Ozempic dominate headlines and YouTubers promoting huge body transformations, the pressure to achieve unrealistic beauty standards has never been more intense.
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In fact, one Instagram 'skinny influencer' found her content demonetised on Meta after an investigation found her content harmfully encouraging extreme weight loss tips.
Now, a new beauty trend involves young girls - some as young as seven - following elaborate multi-step skincare routines they've learned from social media influencers.
A recent survey found that more than three-quarters of parents reported their daughters aged 7 to 17 now have established 'skincare routines.'
But these aren't the simple wash-your-face-before-bed routines, as one study found them to be expensive regimens involving multiple products that can have adverse effects on children's skin.
Researchers from Northwestern University conducted what they're calling the first peer-reviewed study to examine teen skincare routines shared on social media, and the results were eye-opening.
To understand what kids are actually seeing online, the researchers created fake TikTok accounts pretending to be 13-year-olds. They then collected 100 videos from the 'For You' recommendations and analysed everything from the products being used to the total cost of these routines.
The team found that girls between 7 and 18 are applying an average of six different facial products at once, with some using more than a dozen different items in a single routine.
To get a picture of how much they're spending, the experts estimated that these kids fork out an average of $168 for about a month’s worth of skincare products. Meanwhile, in the most extreme cases, some kids are dropping more than $500 on their monthly skincare hauls.
“It’s problematic to show girls devoting this much time and attention to their skin,” said corresponding study author Dr. Molly Hales, who is a postdoctoral research fellow and a board-certified dermatologist at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.
Beyond the financial concerns, doctors are warning about serious health implications. The products featured in the most popular videos contained an average of 11 active ingredients which is far more than most adult skincare routines and can cause skin reactions.
In one clip, a creator rubbed 10 products on her face in six minutes. “As she’s applying the products, she begins to express discomfort and burning, and in the final few minutes, she develops a visible skin reaction,” described senior study author Dr. Tara Lagu, an adjunct lecturer of medicine and medical social sciences at Feinberg.
Hales explained that the irritation happens from mixing products with clashing active ingredients, or unknowingly applying the same active ingredient multiple times through different products. Specifically, the study revealed that young girls following these routines faced increased risks of sun sensitivity and allergic contact dermatitis and only 26% of the daytime routines studied included sunscreen, despite sun protection being the most important factor in preventing skin cancer.
