Does the phrase “skibidi Ohio rizz” mean anything to you? How about “looksmaxxing?” “Fanum tax,” perhaps? To those less internet savvy, these terms mean absolutely nothing. Ask almost any fifth grader, however, and you’re sure to have your answers: to be really bad at flirting, to maximize your appearance, and to steal someone else’s food, respectively.
Generation Alpha, those born between the years 2010 and 2024, are often the targets of online hate due to their seemingly nonsensical slang and behaviors. While I don’t necessarily take issue with children having slang, as every generation has their own jargon, the development of this internet-influenced terminology shines light on a bigger issue facing our youngest generation: social media overconsumption.
Today, short-form content like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts are the most popular forms of online entertainment. The quick pace and ease with which you can scroll through dozens of this content, never knowing what the next video will be, releases dopamine, a “feel-good” hormone, in the brain. Thanks to the nature of short-form content, it’s easy to receive and get hooked on this feeling, resulting in hours of mindless scrolling.
As a result, frequent social media users tend to experience shortened attention spans; any activity that doesn’t give them immediate satisfaction will not keep them interested. For children, this is especially harmful for engaging with academics, particularly for reading. While reading does wonders for improving concentration, strengthening memory, building vocabulary, and more, processing and visualizing words on a page is very different from the immediate gratification short-form content provides.
I also feel obligated to note there’s a distinction between children whose attention spans have been impacted due to social media overconsumption and children with lifelong neurodevelopmental disorders like attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder that may struggle to concentrate. Although both need some type of support for a few overlapping behaviors, they are not the same.
Another harm that stems from excessive social media usage is the influence of toxic beauty trends on the self-esteem and body image of children. Jawline checks, facial harmony, and glass skin are just a few of the dozens of beauty trends that aim to target and create insecurities in online users, usually with the goal of selling a particular product.
One skincare company that has received a lot of attention online for its popularity among children and pre-teens is Drunk Elephant. While there are many Drunk Elephant products that are safe for use by younger audiences, not all products are. Much of the company’s skincare contains retinol, which is an anti-aging ingredient meant to minimize the appearance of wrinkles for adults. On youthful skin, however, retinol can cause irritation, redness, peeling, and even the development of allergic contact dermatitis.
Although Drunk Elephant does address younger fans on their website and advises them not to use certain products, this is unlikely to stop children and pre-teens from buying viral creams and serums. And if it’s not Drunk Elephant children are using, some other beauty product will grow in popularity and eventually take its place. That’s the unfortunate reality of social media today.
Children are incredibly easy to influence, and advertisers and content creators know this. Even much of the short-form content created on apps like TikTok are created with young viewers in mind, influencing the content these creators post. However, the health and safety of youth mean nothing to them if power and money are in the picture.
More needs to be done to protect our children online.