Doctors' warning about ‘insidious' social media trend
It's no secret that young girls are obsessed with beauty — just look at the popularity of 'get ready with me' videos on social media.
In a survey last year, more than three in four parents reported that their seven to 17-year-old girls have a 'skin care routine'.
A groundbreaking new study out of Northwestern University warned that these girls are shelling out a lot of money for skin care that may cause redness and not protect them from the sun's harmful rays, New York Post reported.
'It's problematic to show girls devoting this much time and attention to their skin,' said corresponding study author Dr. Molly Hales, a postdoctoral research fellow and a board-certified dermatologist at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.
For this study, Hales and another researcher created their own TikTok accounts under the guise that they were 13.
They collected 100 unique videos suggested in the 'For You' tab.
They analysed the demographics of content creators, the products used and the total cost of routines, finding that girls 7 to 18 are applying an average of six facial products at once.
Some girls use more than a dozen.
Researchers estimated that these kids fork out an average of $A257 for about a month's worth of products. In the jaw-dropping cases, they are spending more than $A765.
The products in the top viewed videos contained 11 active ingredients on average. 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,' said senior study author Dr. Tara Lagu, an adjunct lecturer of medicine and medical social sciences at Feinberg.
Hales noted that the irritation stems from using products with clashing active ingredients, as well as applying the same active ingredient over and over again, not knowing it's in several products.
Girls also face the risk of sun sensitivity and a skin allergy known as allergic contact dermatitis, which causes a rash.
Only 26 per cent of daytime skin care regimens included sunscreen, the Northwestern study found, even though it's key to preventing skin cancer.
The research — billed as the first peer-reviewed study to explore the pros and cons of teen skin care routines shared on social media — was published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
Beyond the health risks, mental distress is also a concern.
Beauty videos on social media can contribute to lower self-esteem and pressure to conform to unrealistic beauty standards.
Lagu noted that many videos 'emphasised lighter, brighter skin.'
'We're setting a very high standard for these girls,' Hales said.
'The pursuit of health has become a kind of virtue in our society, but the ideal of 'health' is also very wrapped up in ideals of beauty, thinness and whiteness,' she added. 'The insidious thing about 'skincare' is that it claims to be about health.'
TikTok is only for users 13 and older, a rep reminded CNN, and creators who are too young are removed from the platform.
The company also works with third-party adolescent development experts and doctors to establish safeguarding policies, the spokesperson added.
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