Healthcare professionals have issued stark warnings after the rise of Gen Alpha influencers, also known as children, and their love of potentially harmful skin-care products.
More than ever, the world’s youth is bouncing across the internet on just about every platform. While their usage used to be contained to kid-friendly apps, studies suggest that kids are becoming increasingly reliant on mainstream platforms like TikTok, and Instagram. One notable group is Gen Alpha, who were born between between 2010 and 2024.
Influencer children love their skin-care
Though you have to question the parenting skills of some who are pushing their kids into the influencer lifestyle, you also can’t deny the clear interest in the niche. At the time of writing, their dedicated hashtag contained over 28k posts.
The Garza Crew (@garzacrew) went viral in January after hopping on a popular sound to describe the lives of Gen Alpha influencers. Mom Adrea and kids Koti and Haven boast nearly 5 million followers on their flourishing TikTok channel.
“We’re Gen Alpha influencers, of course, we are obsessed with skincare,” one girl, whose adult teeth were yet to come in, said. “We are Gen Alpha influencers, of course, our favorite stores are Sephora and Ulta.”
Just for fun 😋#genalphainfluencers #genalpha
Mom Adrea was clearly aware of the pushback as she turned off comments and later claimed most of their content was “satire.”
Experts have a few choice words
Still, such content has caught the eyes of healthcare professionals who have issued numerous warnings about the long-term consequences of kids using adult-aimed skin-care products.
Speaking to ITV, Dr Andrew Kane said: “It’s worrying to see so many kids diving into skin-care routines that aren’t designed for them.
Good night!!
“The skin of children is very different to that of an adult and this means that the skin barrier is more sensitive to the active ingredients in these products. It can expose children to products which can cause long-term sensitivities or allergies.”
Though most skin-care products are relatively harmless, experts are primarily concerned for Gen Alpha over ingredients labelled as “anti-ageing” and “brightening” as these usually contain ingredients like retinol, vitamin C, and various acids.
