For teens at JHS, reminiscing on their childhoods can cause major nostalgia. As kids growing up in the 2000s and 2010s, things were a lot different than current day. Electronics weren’t a huge part of most kids’ lives. While lots of kids watched TV, a lot of time was spent outside. Marcella Sprenger, ‘25 said her favorite childhood memory was “playing ghost in the graveyard with my neighbors.”
Collectively, our generation can probably remember the big parachutes we would use in PE class, making rainbow looms with friends, Just Dance and Wii Sports, and Happy Meal Toys. You could go home after school and knock on your neighbor’s front door, asking if they could play outside. It felt like kids were always outside, playing hopscotch, drawing with chalk, or playing hide and seek.
While a lot of these things are still around today, some teens have noticed that kids are wanting to grow up faster. Less kids are seen playing outside. Most kids now have phones, iPads and other electronic devices.
Childhood now is a lot different than it was then. A recent TikTok trend, “Sephora kids”, has gone viral. These kids range in age from 7-12 years old. They are infamous for being loud and disrespectful, making messes in stores, and using products that are intended for older people.
The main concern voiced by older people on TikTok is that this young age group is starting to use products, such as retinol, that are targeted towards an older audience. Retinol products can be used for anti-aging and acne treatment. However, this is a harsh chemical not intended for the skin of young children. It could have harmful effects, and purchasing this product unnecessarily can also take away from those who actually need it.
The biggest problem with the Sephora kids is the lack of parental supervision. Lots of people from our generation probably remember wanting to play with makeup and other beauty products when we were young as well. Rather than shaming these young girls, this trend should just be a reminder that parents should be aware of the products that their children are buying, and teach them the proper etiquette to use when shopping in these stores.
