09-08-2025
From stress relief to quitting smoking: How grown-ups in China ended up in the middle of a pacifier craze
BEIJING, Aug 9 — Move over bubble tea — China's newest craze is adult-sized pacifiers, and yes, people are actually buying them by the thousands.
As reported by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), online sellers claim they move more than 2,000 a month, with prices ranging from 10 to 500 yuan (RM5.90–RM295). Bigger than the baby version, shops tout them as stress-busters, sleep aids, quit-smoking tools and even breathing trainers.
'It's soft, comfortable, and doesn't block my breathing,' gushed one fan. Another swore it helped them quit smoking. One stressed-out office worker confessed: 'When I'm under pressure, I suck on the dummy. It feels like the safety of childhood.'
Not everyone's convinced. According to SCMP, dentist Tang Caomin warned that long-term use could shift teeth, limit jaw movement and even pose a choking hazard if parts come loose at night.
Psychologist Zhang Mo said the comfort might be masking deeper problems: 'The real solution is not to treat yourself as a child, but to face the challenge directly.'
Still, with 60 million views of the product on one platform and plenty of tongue-in-cheek comments, the adult pacifier has cemented itself as China's latest conversation starter.
