Trends on social media make girls want to grow too fast making it harder for them to enjoy their youth.

“Young girls these days don’t look their age” is something you’ve probably heard from adults. But for once, they might not be wrong. Teenage girls no longer looked like girls experiencing puberty but like young adults. But, who is mostly to blame for this situation: social media or teenagers?

With the overuse of media like TikTok, young girls are allowed to recreate web trends on these platforms. Among these is the new Sephora Kids trend, with pre-teen girls buying expensive skincare sets and showing off their beauty routines on video. However, The products are unsuitable for young skin, but these little girls don’t seem to care, creating further public irritation. “Cleanser, oil-free moisturizer, lip balm and SPF. That’s all they need.” mentioned dermatologist Marnie Nussbaum who is alarmed by the situation. Consumers are annoyed that pre-teens are robbing their local Sephora. Twins spending large sums of money on these products is affecting the market.

But should we blame the youngsters who take this trend as their new playground? After all, it was a young girl who started it all, Kim Kardashian’s daughter North West. At the age of ten, she started posting make-up tutorials on her million-subscriber TikTok account, encouraging young people to do the same. To learn how to apply make-up or recreate the routine of their favourite stars and look like their idol, who is ten years older than most of them. And therein lies the toxicity of this movement, as it drives young girls to grow up faster to be like their role models, and ultimately to be the one to watch, often at the expense of their youth.

Should the new generation accept their age and not grow up too fast? Surely. Will they? Probably not. Because this generation is influenced by Internet trends, and in a few years it won’t be Sephora Kids but some other scourge.